‘Okkul utsav’ of Sri Venkataramana Temple to be a traditional affair

MANGALURU: Tradition is all set to trump modernity when the famed ‘Okkul utsav’ or ‘Avabrita utsav’ of Sri Venkataramana Temple (SVT), Car Street, is held on Wednesday. A decision taken at the annual general meeting of SVT a month ago, acting on suggestions received from Gowd Saraswath Brahmin (GSB) community members, have decided to ban DJs or high-voltage sound systems, mikes or use of water tanker at the ‘okkul’.
While discussion on banning DJs, water tankers and smearing of colours on women in what many critics of such revelry, that brings down curtains on the 5-day annual car festival of the temple, dubbed as the city’s ‘fancy fete’, has been going on for the past 10 years, temple trustees with support from the community, have formally announced the ban this year. The suggestions on imposing the ban were received both orally and in writing.

C Laxman Shenoy, one the three trustees – K P Prashanth Rao and P Ramachandra Kamath – being the other two – told TOI that it is the collective decision of the ‘mahasabha’ of the GSB community held around a month ago. “We had a detailed discussion on the issue based on the various representations, and have taken a decision to ban activities that goes against the religious spirit of the avabrita utsav and traditions that govern the okkul utsav,” he said.

Members of the GSB community who were present at the AGM said the decision was largely based on apprehensions regarding women’s safety, and who would bear responsibility if their safety was compromised. The decision was also based on the need to keep the event within the community, in that involving DJs, music, water tankers and an opportunity to fraternise means that ‘outsiders’ could take advantage of the situation and foment trouble.

Any indecent incident during okkul disturbs the sanctity of Lord Veera Venkatesha’s avabrita utsav. Traditionally, pouring of colour starts only after offering traditional gulal (pink) colour which is being offered to the deity when the deity presides on Vasanta Mantapa on okkul day. The mahasabha noted that many start pouring colours from early morning itself without knowing the facts of the temple tradition, and that such aberrations are not needed.

The mahasabha requested the community to follow this strictly in the name of the deity, in order to preserve the tradition for which the samaj is acclaimed for. Since the decision was taken in a meeting in the presence of trustees and samaj members, keeping the deity’s ‘Gandha Prasad’, the decision is deemed taken with the deity as witness, and going against any decision which is taken in a meeting for betterment of the samaj, is akin to going against the deity, said the community members.