Almost every festival we celebrate in India is observed differently based on the region. One festival that is celebrated with the utmost pomp and grandeur is Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami. It is celebrated the next day after the nine-day festivities of Navratri. Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is the day of Goddess Durga, who after a nine-day fast took the form of Kali on the tenth day to defeat Mahishasura. In Kulasekharapatnam of Tamil Nadu, Navaratri will begin with devotees tying the sacred thread (kaapu) at the Mutharamman Temple, after which they change into various costumes. Before that, devotees place their prayers before the goddess and undergo a strict fast of about 60 to 40 days and dress in different costumes that each have a unique significance and background. From Kuravan and Kurathi attire to portraying the look of fierce Maa Kali, devotees adopt various guises.
What makes the celebration here unique is that only men wear these costumes. From young boys to elderly men, all of them wear a sacred garland and dress in various costumes. They even perform in costumes of Maa Kali. They also sing traditional songs and invoke various deities like Karuppasamy, and Sudalaimadan by dressing up in their costumes and performing rituals. Women only wear the garland with their traditional attire.
Devotees form small groups in their local areas and set up small huts where they hold their daily prayers. In an interview with Local18, a man named Sasi shared, “When someone wears the sacred garland for the first time at the Mutharamman Temple, their first costume must be that of Kuravan and Kurathi. This is because Mutharamman first appeared in that avatar. Therefore, every person who wears the garland for the first time must adopt the Kuravan and Kurathi guise.”
After a few years, they consult the goddess whose form they want to take next or they change their costumes based on the blessing of their family deity. Sasi further informed that it takes about ten consecutive years to wear the costume of Maa Kali.
As per Sasi, every costume serves a different purpose. While one costume may be for getting a good job, another could be to seek the blessing of the Goddess to achieve success. One cannot just randomly pick the costume of Maa Kali. Only when a devotee is commanded, they can wear it. Sasi further added that one person has been wearing the Karuppasamy costume for nine years. Another person wore the Kuravan costume for three years, but since Karuppasamy was his family’s deity, one of them had to continue to wear his costume.
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