Chikamagaluru: Every time the earth goes dry and the region falls in to the ugly clutches of drought, there are bizarre rituals that our people resort to performing, rather than thinking over ways to tackle the dry spells. This varies from marrying off frogs to offering sacrifices to deities.
But, here in the coffee land of Chikamagaluru, a particular ritual to appease the rain Gods can be clearly termed eerie as the locals congregate to the spots where the dead have been buried to pull out the skeletons, pick the skull and then set it on fire in a bid to make sure that the rains lash the region on time.
This is a ritual that has been performed over generations here at Peelenahalli. Before the ritual, the people of Peelenahalli and four other nearby villages are invited to be a part of the ritual by beating the drums through the narrow roads of the villages.
Then the villagers congregate to one spot and decide on the next course. What is surprising is that so far, there has never been any opposition to the ritual. As the villagers meet, they first take out details on the number of dead in the village and the spots where they were cremated.
The villagers walk to one spot chosen by them unanimously where a dead villager has been cremated. They then dig out the remains and set only the skull on fire. The belief of the villagers is that bad luck hovers over the village if someone has died an untimely death, specifically due to ailments. However, the origin of the ritual is not known, but the local villagers have great faith in this ‘scary’ ritual as they feel it has always worked.
