Volume 4 | Issue 3 | July-August
2010 |
Ramayana Of The Adiyas
Dr. Azis Tharuvana
Kali Mathai, a member of the Adiya tribal community of Thrissileri in Wayanad district, is a community elder and traditional healer. He narrates the Ramayana story he picked up from his father in the following manner:
‘Our Pakkatheyyam resides in the Pulpalli region. One day, Pakkatheyyam confronted Seeta, who was staying in Pulpalli: ‘ Look, Seeta, don’t stay here. This area belongs to me. You can choose any place outside my area and put up your hut”. Pakkathappan, then, planted the boundary stone and measured out his land. (It was customary for the devas (gods) in ancient days to establish their reign over lands. They set up dominions in various places, such as the Kottiyoor temple, the Tirunelli temple, and the Valliyoorkavu temple and settled there. The jurisdictional limits of each god have been clearly demarcated. They also have their own temples.)
Seeta left Pulpalli and walked through the forest, crossing hills and dales, carrying all her belongings. Rama and Lakshmana, after a battle, were returning that way. Seeta sidestepped for them. Rama’s eyes fell on Seeta. A sweet flame leapt up in his heart. He liked her. He said to Lakshamana: “Lakshmana, I like this lady. What a stunning beauty she is! I would like to marry her.”
By this time, Seeta had disappeared among the trees. Rama’s heart was pining for her. At any cost she should be won over. But how to tell her this? Who will speak to her? And what if she rejects? Rama shared all such thoughts with Lakshmana, his younger brother. Lakshmana said: “ Sir, you are an archer without parallel. You are the king designate. Then, why feel diffident? We will meet Seeta and tell her our wish at once. If she does not agree, we will use force and subdue her.”
Meanwhile, Seeta had reached another slope of the hill away from the sight of Rama and Lakshmana. Ravana was proceeding along the same path. Gently persuading her to pause, Ravana befriended Seeta. The two exchanged pleasantries. They liked each other. Using subtle persuasion, Ravana won Seeta’s heart and took her to the city of Lanka. They traveled in a bullock cart. They had to cross a stream before reaching Lanka. To cross over to the city, a bridge was needed. Hanuman and Karadi had already built a bridge.
(During the construction of the bridge they encountered a problem. Hanuman brought huge blocks of stone with much strain and using both his mighty hands. Karady(bear), with great ease, took the stones in one hand and built the bridge. Hanuman was enraged. Hanuman said: “ You are a woman. I am a man. How dare you to receive with one hand the stones I bring with both the hands?” In a fit of rage he encircled the hill with his long tail and shouted: “ I will pull down this hill”. Seeta was at that time planting millet in the valley below. Hearing the threatening words of Hanuman, Seeta implored: ‘O revered Hanuman, kindly do not pull down the hill now. We will be buried under the earth”. Hanuman yielded to the prayer and desisted. In return, Seeta blessed Hanuman:” O revered Hanuman”, Seeta said, “Hereafter you will not need to eat food from the ground. I have prepared food for you on the trees. You can eat that. Don’t drink warm water, drink only fresh water. That is better for you and your progeny”. Accordingly, the monkeys, even to this day, live by eating fruits from the trees and drinking clear water from the streams.)
Crossing the bridge, Ravana and Seeta entered the city of Lanka. Ravana put Seeta up in the topmost room of a twelve-storied tower. Seeta said: “Till twelve years have passed you should not touch my body or even my dress. I shall become your wife only after that. Till that time I will sit here and meditate”. Ravana agreed.
Rama and Lakshmana were wandering around on hill slopes and river banks. Rama’s desire for marrying Seeta was growing stronger by the day. He told Lakshmana that he could not imagine a life without Seetha.
They enquired every one they met if they had seen Seeta. They combed the areas of Pulpalli and Thirunelli. Finally, they landed at Pakshipathalam. There Hanuman and companions were taking rest. Rama enquired of them if they had seen Seeta.
Some of the monkeys reported having seen Seeta and Ravana crossing the bridge. Rama was not familiar with the city of Lanka across the bridge. He had never been there. But he had known that Ravana was the ruler of Lanka and that he was a bad character. Hanuman said: “ Seeta blessed me. I shall go over there and bring her”.
Rama said: “ You are a monkey. Won’t that scoundrel arrest you and put you in chains?
Hanuman said: ”Don’t insult us by calling us ‘monkeys’. We will show you the strength and cleverness of monkeys” So saying, Hanuman leapt into the adjacent tree. From there he jumped to the next tree. Leaping from tree to tree, he reached the top of the palm tree near the bridge. From there the city of Lanka could be clearly seen. Hanuman did not land on the ground, nor did he cross the bridge. Instead, from the palm tree he leapt on to the aracanut tree on the other side of the bridge.
Rama was not clear whither Hanuman had gone and whether he would find Seeta. Rama and Lakshmana thought that out of anger and protest for speaking ill of the monkeys, he just left the place. Therefore, Rama and Lakshmana continued their search.
At the end of a prolonged search, Hanuman discovered that Seeta was in a room on the top of Ravana’s palace. But how to reach Seeta? Hanuman pondered. Finally he hit upon a trick.
Hanuman scouted the precincts of the palace. He saw a small pond. In that pond an Adiyathi woman (member of the Adiya community to which the narrator belonged) was washing Seeta’s clothes. Hanuman stopped there, pretending that a thorn had pierced his foot. Asked the Adiyathi: “ O, monkey, what are you doing there?”
“ A thorn has pierced my foot, I am trying to pull it out” replied Hanuman and leapt on to the coffee tree standing nearby. He secretly surveyed the Adiyathi, who continued her humming and washing. After a while, when the clothes were dry she put them in a basket. Unseen, Hanuman entered the basket and hid himself under the pile of clothes. Not knowing this, the
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Dr. Azis Tharuvana -