Devare Banni Mudiya ritual, Vijayanagara heritage continues silently
Hampi
The roots of Mysore Dasara are spread in Hampi. The Devare Banni Mudiya ceremony, which is a reminder of what the past celebrations might have been like, was held with great enthusiasm on Wednesday evening at Dharmadagudda in Nagenahalli near Hampi.
The Channabasaveshwara Temple in Dharmadagudda was established during the Vijayanagara period, and the temple fair is held on the day of Mahanavami. At the same time, deities from Hospet and Kamalapura areas come in palanquins to circumambulate the Shami tree five times with Channabasaveshwara, a tradition that has been followed here. This celebration was done with great pomp in the presence of more than 20,000 devotees on Wednesday.
During the Vijayanagara period, the Beda Nayakas, who were great warriors, used to sit on the Mahanavami mound and display their strength in front of the watching kings and then move forward to receive the banni. The same tradition has changed slightly now and the deities of the Keris are carried in a palanquin to Dharmadagudda. Channabasaveshwara, who is considered the elder brother of the deities, and his sister Nijalingamma first perform the banni, and then the deities of the Keris perform the banni. This tradition is called ‘Ammanavara Banni’. This tradition was performed with great devotion on Wednesday in the presence of the owners of the Keris.
The palanquins from the seven keris of Hospet rushed towards Dharmadagudda in Nagenahalli, about 5 km away, afternoon. The youth carrying the palanquins almost ran towards Dharmadagudda. While the festival idol of Channabasaveshwara was placed in a palanquin prepared in the temple, the Nijalingamma of Banadakeri was placed next to it, the Huligamma of Masakeri and the Kongamma palanquin were placed next to it. On the other side, the palanquin of Rampur Durgamma Devi of Talavarakeri was placed.