Mysore has the distinction of being historically called ‘The Cultural Capital’ of Karnataka. Not without reason it has been considered a hub of cultural and literary streams over the years. The erstwhile rulers of this province, Wodeyar dynasty, have made a deep, long term impact on the local population and people at large, not due to their expansionist adventures, rather more out of their patronage to culture and literature. Wodeyars stand out in exclusivity in terms of pro-people regimes for more than two centuries, a rarity in Indian history, Sayyaji Rao Gaekwad and Shahu Maharaj being other examples.
Seen in this hindsight Mysore made a huge noise across the state over the celebration of Mahisha Dasara, ventured by a section of Dalit groups. Over the past decade the subaltern populace of this region, comprising of Kollegala, Chamarajanagar and surrounding districts, have identified themselves with certain Folk traditions like Malai Mahadeshwara-Manteswamy and have tried to establish their claim over the region’s cultural landscape. And Mahishasura or Mahisha has become the epicentre of the cultural war of words between the so called protectors of Hindu culture (chiefly Sangh parivar) and the subaltern claims over the past.
Myth and History
The myth goes like this. Mahisha, a demon king ruling over this area was notorious for his evil deeds which resulted in innumerable sufferings of the masses. He is identified as Mahishasura (Mahisha meaning Buffalo and Asura meaning a Demon). To end his reign the Goddess of Shakti incarnated as Chamundi and killed him, thereby ending his evil regime. The centuries old Chamundi hills and a temple dedicated to Goddess was established during the Vijayanagar empire and at a near distance from the temple a statue of Mahishasura was installed by Wodeyars during 19th Century.
Chamundi hills has evolved as a devotional epicentre even for the subaltern masses over centuries and as Dasara is celebrated to mark ‘Victory of good over the evil’ Chamundi is also worshipped as Mahishasura Mardini (the goddess who killed Mahishasura, a demon king). The temple atop hills has remained a tourist attraction apart from extremes of devotion from the common masses. Equally prominent, as a tourist attraction, is the statue of Mahisha, located near the temple. Though not worshipped, Mahisha and the tale behind his times has etched deeply in the Folk traditions of surrounding areas.
It is in this background one can visualise the so-called historicity of Mahisha as a benevolent king who ruled this area centuries back and the present Mysore has its origin in Mahisha+Ooru (Land of Buffaloes). Some Dalit scholars vouch for this historicity and claim that Mysuru is a land of Mahisha. Some historical evidence is claimed through references in certain cultural studies and epigraphs, alluding to the theory that Mahisha was a Buddhist monk, who came from Central India and established his Buddhist regime over here. And these theories claim him to be a humane, benevolent king and not a demon as claimed by Hindu mythologies. It is an established fact through many scholarly studies, that, Vedic Hinduism always demonises “others” and claims superiority to itself. (Another trend is “co-option”. It is to be noted that elephant headed god was a tribal deity co-opted to Hinduism, later equated with Ganadhipa of Vedic hymns.)
The Genesis of Clash
With this imagined history and glory of cultural past, some Dalit groups around this area started celebrating Mahisha Dasara countering the traditional Dasara of eulogising the Victory of Good over the Evil through the goddess Chamundi. Besides being a point of contention between two groups, Mahisha Dasara and its celebration eventually became a cultural identity for the subaltern community and some Dalit groups, amorphous groups, started annual celebration on a grand scale, eulogising Mahisha as a benevolent king of the bygone era and martyred at the hands of a Goddess, worshipped across Hindu religious groups. Naturally this caught the imagination of the youth and also the cultural landscape across the area. (We may note here that in Kerala, Bali the king is resurrected every Deepavali. In other states it is the same old story of good and evil. The Mahisha episode has an analogy here.)
Though this claim is not corroborated by historical evidence or chronology, the claim by subaltern groups had its own supporters in the intellectual circles, thereby legitimising the celebration of Mahisha Dasara. Quite naturally this was an eyesore for the Hindutva groups in the region, who claimed a hegemony over the cultural traits for centuries. This clash of interests, not without reason, became a flashpoint of confrontation between Dalit groups who led Mahisha Dasara and Hindutva groups claiming the right to safeguard Hindu cultural landscapes. Local MP, Pratap Simha, representing Mysore and Coorg was at the forefront to lead Hindutva groups to foil any attempt by the other group to celebrate Mahisha Dasara atop the hills, claiming it an affront to the cultural beliefs and ethos of Hindus.
Though this confrontation can be traced back to a decade or so, this year the Dalit groups decided to celebrate the event on a grand scale, scaring the Hindutva groups and as a counter Sri Pratap Simha openly threatened to foil any attempt to celebrate Mahisha, by mobilising Hindus against the event. Eventually the district administration was prudent enough to deny permission for Mahisha Dasara atop the hill and it was allowed to be celebrated as an event in the city. More than 5000 people gathered in the Townhall on 13th October to celebrate this event, as a mark of identifying Mahisha with Buddhist traditions and eulogising him as a Buddhist king. Though the confrontation was avoided, the under-current of Cultural Identity and politics around it is still a live wire, as a huge debate is raging across the state, on the historical antecedents of Mahisha as a Buddhist monk who ruled this province, thereby demolishing the prevalent myth of he being a Demon king killed by the Goddess of Shakti.
A Rational view
Notwithstanding these claims and counterclaims, the fact remains that both Chamundi and Mahisha are mythological figures evolved over the years and of course strongly entrenched as belief systems by the people at large. Cultural Scholars like Lakshmipati Kolara, debunk the claims of Mahisha being a historical entity and pooh poohs the very idea of Mysuru having its origin in Mahisha+Oooru. Several scholars of history and culture, even in Mysore, do not endorse the myth built around Mahishasura.
That apart, the protagonists of Mahisha Dasara, in their zeal to counter the myths of the Hindu cultural moorings, have ventured to make myth into history, a plank often used by Hindutva groups to appropriate the subaltern culture of India. Over-enthusiastically some ‘scholars’, in their effort to find a historical place for Mahisha have made Chamundi too a historical entity, which is beyond comprehension for any rational-scientific thought process. With the constitutional right to celebrate or profess being kept aloft, the point to ponder over is :
“ Whether myths make history! ”
