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Log inKarnataka: Dalits enter village temple for the first time, earn upper caste boycott
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Karnataka: Dalits enter village temple for the first time, earn upper caste boycott
by Guest Mon May 29, 2017 8:35 am
The bull of Kottihalli village temple vanished on May 19. It was found within hours, but tongues wagged in the village of 200 households in Tumakuru district, around 75 km northwest of Bengaluru.
The bull run happened on Day 1 of an annual four-day fair of Goddess Kucchangiyamma. On the third day of festivities (May 21), for the first time in Kottihalli’s history, Dalits were to enter the temple under an agreement engineered by the police.
The fair ended abruptly that Sunday shortly after Dalits stepped out of the temple.
“The bull ran away because of the Dalits,” is a jibe Kottihalli’s Dalits allege they heard from ‘savarnas’ (forward caste Hindus). “We also heard the bull had stopped eating because Dalits entered the temple,” said Mahalingaiah, 53, a Dalit resident of the village.
A day before the fair, police had held a peace meeting between Dalits and ‘savarnas’. The Dalits had petitioned the police to ensure they faced no caste-based discrimination during the event.
“We entered the temple about 5 am, but the priest refused to perform the puja,” added Mahalingaiah. “The priest agreed after police intervened. We offered prayers till about 7 am.”
He added, “After we came out of the temple, the savarnas started taking down decorations around the temple. We were told the fair had ended.”
Tumakuru deputy superintendent of police, K Nagaraj, said, “We had gathered all the residents (on May 18) and told them that temple entry for the Dalits would have to be allowed. Everybody had agreed.” Police saw the agreement crumbling....
Dalits refuse to buy this. “On the fourth day of the annual fair, the idol of Goddess Kucchangiyamma is taken out in a procession around the village. But the procession does not come to our part of the village. For about six years, we have been asking for the procession to pass by our houses too. After all, we too pay for the fair,” said Kemparajamma, 60, who is among those leading what Dalits see as a fight for assertion of rights.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/karnataka-dalits-enter-village-temple-for-the-first-time-earn-upp-er-caste-boycott/story-7915BzIhNvtdG5LNkpowXP.html
The bull run happened on Day 1 of an annual four-day fair of Goddess Kucchangiyamma. On the third day of festivities (May 21), for the first time in Kottihalli’s history, Dalits were to enter the temple under an agreement engineered by the police.
The fair ended abruptly that Sunday shortly after Dalits stepped out of the temple.
“The bull ran away because of the Dalits,” is a jibe Kottihalli’s Dalits allege they heard from ‘savarnas’ (forward caste Hindus). “We also heard the bull had stopped eating because Dalits entered the temple,” said Mahalingaiah, 53, a Dalit resident of the village.
A day before the fair, police had held a peace meeting between Dalits and ‘savarnas’. The Dalits had petitioned the police to ensure they faced no caste-based discrimination during the event.
“We entered the temple about 5 am, but the priest refused to perform the puja,” added Mahalingaiah. “The priest agreed after police intervened. We offered prayers till about 7 am.”
He added, “After we came out of the temple, the savarnas started taking down decorations around the temple. We were told the fair had ended.”
Tumakuru deputy superintendent of police, K Nagaraj, said, “We had gathered all the residents (on May 18) and told them that temple entry for the Dalits would have to be allowed. Everybody had agreed.” Police saw the agreement crumbling....
Dalits refuse to buy this. “On the fourth day of the annual fair, the idol of Goddess Kucchangiyamma is taken out in a procession around the village. But the procession does not come to our part of the village. For about six years, we have been asking for the procession to pass by our houses too. After all, we too pay for the fair,” said Kemparajamma, 60, who is among those leading what Dalits see as a fight for assertion of rights.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/karnataka-dalits-enter-village-temple-for-the-first-time-earn-upp-er-caste-boycott/story-7915BzIhNvtdG5LNkpowXP.html
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