This ‘holy and messy’ custom defies modernity, human rights in Mangalore

It might be the 21st century, but there are pockets in the country, including Karnataka, where outdated socio-religious customs are still followed. Be it throwing infants off a 60-feet-high temple roof in Bijapur to be caught by devotees below or relatives passing infants over a boiling cauldron of rice payasam in Kerala, or naked women performing poojas in Gulburga, or made snana at Kukke Subramanya temple in Sullia, 105km from Mangalore.

Made snana is a medieval practice that dates back to 400 years ago where devotees roll over plantain leaves on which upper caste Hindus had had their lunch. The road in front of the temple gopuram turns into a dining area and large plantain leaves are placed on which lunch is served. The devotees who perform the made snana sponsor the lunch that’s served to upper-caste devotees. After the ‘holy’ and messy rolling, devotees take a bath in the river and go to the temple for darshan to and receive prasadam of the Lord Subramanya.

This practice has now attracted condemnation because of its unhygienic conditions and human rights violation. Shivaramu of ‘Hindulida Vargagala Jagurta Balaga’, Mysore, said the temple is tacitly supporting this practice by allowing devotees to participate in made snana. “We have appealed to the swamiji and to the muzrai minister Dr VS Acharya to stop this (practice). Our requests fell on deaf ears. We will now appeal to the state and national human rights commissions,” said an activist.

Sri Sri Vidya Prasanna Thirtha Swamiji of Subramanya Mutt said: “We are not forcing anybody to undertake this vow. It is a religious practice that devotees take up on their own accord as a religious service to their families. The temple does not organise this event. The temple just organises the annual lunch for devotees. The temple does not collect fee for taking part in the made snana.”

“The Constitution provides for freedom and right to practice any religion. In this case, devotees take up made snana on their own accord and exercise their constitutional rights. If we stop it legally, the state will be a party to violation of the constitutional rights of devotees who take part in the made snana every year,” said Acharya.

Devotees who undertake made snana are techies, lawyers, doctors, college teachers, businessmen and professionals. “It is a vow I had taken up as a thanksgiving to God. In my case, my mother had severe health problems and after I took this vow on the advise of my astrologer, my mother was cured,” said Nagendra Kumar, a software engineer from Chennai.

Temple authorities said the number of devotees who participate in this ritual has been increasing. This year, made snana took place on Friday, with over 2,000 people from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala, in attendance. Every year, 1,000 enquiries are made from devotees from Bangalore, said officials.