Kochi: A move to erect a statue of Mahabali, the mythical ruler of Kerala, near a temple dedicated to his tormentor Vamana has kicked up a controversy as the southern Indian state gets ready for Onam, its most popular festival.
Onam, a harvest festival, commemorates the benevolent reign of Mahabali and annual visit to people of his former kingdom.
The controversy began after the Travancore Devaswom Board decided to set up a bronze statue of Bali adjacent to Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple in Ernakulam district. Devotees of the temple with pro-Hindu leanings have opposed the move.
According to a legend, Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, had sent the demon king to the netherworld after gods became jealous of his popularity.
The proposed statue is modeled on a painting drawn by a Travancore king, reports republicworld.com.
The temple devotees termed as improper to install the ruler’s statue near the lone shrine in Kerala dedicated to Vamana.
Devasam board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan has defended the plan. Bali, he explained, was an hardcore devotee of Lord Vishnu. There is nothing wrong in installing his statue in the temple premises, he asserted.
The statue would be made after melting the bronze vessels in the Devasam collection, he added. Devasam is the administrative body for temple management.
“First of all, we are building a bronze statue and not an idol. It is being built not within the temple compound but in an adjacent plot owned by TDB. So there is no impropriety in building the statue,” Gopalakrishnan said.
Noting that people have many misconceptions about the character of Mahabali, he said the demon king was known for his noble mind, devotion to Lord Vishnu and initiating welfare measures for his subjects.
Bali was generally pictured in a distorted way, as a man with a moustache and a pot belly. The statue was an attempt to give an ideal representation of him, based on the painting by the Travancore king, he added.
“The board plans to organize an in depth presentation of the mythical story and the characters of Mahabali and Vamana at the temple during the Onam days. We hope it will clear doubts and misconceptions of devotees over the issue,” Gopalakrishnan said.
The statue’s foundation work was complete and a total of more than 3.5 million rupees is expected for the rest of the work, he added.
Hindu Aikya Vedi (unity forum) leader E S Biju said they were not against Mahabali but supported devotees’ opposition to the statue in the temple premises.
“Bali was a people-friendly ruler and devotee of Lord Vishnu, according to legend. So there is nothing wrong in installing his statue. But devotees have an objection to setting it up on the ground of the temple, dedicated to Lord Vamana. We also support them,” said.
The leader also alleged that the board was taking unilateral decisions in this regard and devotees had already approached the Devaswom Ombudsman against the move.
The issue gained attention in the wake of RSS mouthpiece ‘Kesari’ kicking up a controversy last year questioning the legend behind Onam, arguing that it marks the celebration of birth of Vamana and not the homecoming of demon king Mahabali.
Popular belief in the state has it that Mahabali’s homecoming in the Malayalam month of Chingam to see his subjects is celebrated as ‘Thiru Onam’ annually, which falls on September 4 this year.
As per mythology, Onam, is connected with demon king Mahabali, under whose reign everyone lived in happiness and equality. Envious of his popularity, the ‘Devas’ (Gods) sought the help of Lord Vishnu to get him banished into the netherworld.
But before going down, Mahabali secured a boon from Lord Vishnu to visit his subjects every year on ‘Thiru Onam’ day. The demon king’s annual visit is celebrated by Keralites, who decorate their front yards with floral carpets, wear new clothes and prepare a sumptuous feast.