Mysuru: Seeking to subvert the commonly held belief that
Mahishasura was a demon, whose death ushered in peace and prosperity to Mysuru, former minister and Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi on Sunday posited a counter-narrative, wherein he stated that
Mahisha was a benevolent
Buddhist king, who had been vilified because of his
Shudra.
Jarkiholi, who inaugurated the Mahisha Dasara celebrations in front of BR Ambedkar’s statue at Town Hall, said, “Mahisha was demonised because he belonged to the Shudra community. I will hold discussions with the people, and academicians, and make a decision to make modifications to the Mahishasura’s statue atop Chamundi Hills. He was a Buddhist king, who initiated many developmental projects in Mysuru.”
Writer and rationalist KS Bhagwan, who has been at the forefront of organising Mahisha Dasara celebrations over the past few years, demanded that Mahishasura’s statue atop the hills be pulled down. “In the place of the existing statue, one that depicts Mahisha as a Buddhist monk must be erected. History tells us that Mahisha was a benevolent ruler, who was humane, and worked towards the welfare of sections of the society. If he was a demon, why would Mysuru be named in his honour?”
Bhagwan asked.
Mahesh Chandra Guru, professor in the department of journalism and mass communication at the University of Mysore (UoM), said that Mahisha’s image as a demon was a projection imposed on the masses by the Vedic forces. Endorsing Jarkiholi’s assessment of Mahisha having been a Buddhist king, Chandra Guru said, “He was deputed by Ashoka the Great in the third century BC to promote Buddhism in this region, and govern it justly.”
Differing from the commonly held perception of Goddess Chamundeshwari being the ‘Naada Devathe (Goddess of the land)’, Chandra Guru said, “She was a Goddess locally known as ‘Maramma’. It is the
Brahminical forces that have promoted her as Naada Devathe. There is a conspiracy to earn money by chanting Chamundeshwari’s name, and we are not against it. All religions must exist in harmony with each other in the country. But that does not mean vilifying Mahisha. We are not opposed to anyone, but we are fighting for indigenous people.”
A bike rally, ‘Maha Boudha Bikkhu Mahisha’ was taken out from Town Hall to Chamundi Hills. A seminar on Mahisha organised at Chamundi Hills, inaugurated by Banjagere Jayaprakash, was attended by hundreds. Seer of the Urilingapeddi Mutt Jnana Prakash Swami was among those who participated in the seminar.