A tradition of men breaking coconuts with their heads during a festival in Karnataka’s Mysuru has garnered significant attention. This ritual is a part of the celebration honouring Gattavadi Maramma, the village deity of Nanjangud taluk. In the village, several religious rituals have been observed. Special pujas and ceremonies were performed at the temple during this Jatra Mahotsava festival. In the morning, the villagers came together to prepare and serve food to Maramma. Following this, devotees placed water and banana sacks in front of the temple. During the Aadi Perukku festival in Tamil Nadu, people go to temples to break coconuts with their heads. This ritual is followed to seek blessings from god for good health and success. Even though it might seem risky, believers think it’s an important tradition.
In some regions like Karur, Coimbatore and Madurai districts in Tamil Nadu, the tradition of breaking coconuts on people’s heads is observed during various celebrations. For example, on the festival day, many Hindu devotees gather outside the Mahalakshmi Temple in Karur to seek blessings.
There are different stories about the origin of this ritual. Among them, one goes back thousands of years ago. Back then, Lord Shiva devotees came to seek blessings. Despite their prayers, Lord Shiva didn’t appear. So, the devotees started breaking coconuts with their heads, imagining the coconut to be like Lord Shiva’s three-eyed face. Eventually, Lord Shiva appeared and fulfilled their wishes. Since then, this ritual has been followed.
Another story revolves around the British colonial era when the demolition of a temple was considered to replace it with a railway line. This stirred opposition among residents.
Amidst the construction of the temple, approximately 187 large stones, resembling coconuts in size were sourced from a nearby river. The British authorities proposed a challenge: if villagers could shatter these stones with their heads, the temple would be spared from destruction. The villagers met the challenge, originating the tradition of breaking a coconut at the temple.
Gattavdi Maramma Temple
The Gattavdi Maramma Temple is located in Gattavdi village, situated within the Nanjangud taluk of the Mysuru district. The village is 23 kilometres away from Nanjangud, the sub-district headquarters, and 50 kilometres from Mysuru, the district headquarters.
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