Kanyaka [Sequel to Durga] | ✓

1. How It Started

Dedicated to @KeerthanaSharon, one of my college besties.

When we were discussing about the chapter Symbolisms, I accidently told her about how writing about Durga's past was in my mind. Her excited face encouraged me to write this book.

***

"Madam, there is a small temple of Veera Chennamma. A bus is due in five minutes, if you wish you can board the bus," informed a man who seemed to be in his early forties. He was astonishingly thin, if it wouldn't have been for his dhoti, one would have mistaken him for a stick. His mouth was blood red due excessive chewing of paan.

Durga nodded. The temple, Chikka Tirupati, stood a few score of metres behind her. This temple was built a few centuries ago dedicated to Lord Vishnu who is worshipped as Venkateshwara and his consort Lakshmi as Alamelumangai. The five storied temple gopuram was a huge one, painted with different hues of bright colours. Another interesting fact about the gopuram was it housed more than two hundred monkeys.

Durga saw Rudra coming with a banana leaf rolled into a big cone. The cone had one of his favourite food. It consisted of white puffed rice mixed with onions, tomatoes, groundnuts, dash of coriander, salt and some common spices. This was the second time Rudra had bought it; the first one was snatched by a fat monkey. She giggled at his childish behaviour when she caught him staring in all possible directions, trying to protect his food. He walked towards her and whispered, "Durga, we must leave quickly otherwise these monkeys will snatch our foo-"

"Rudra, I found this amazing temple of some goddess called Veera Chennamma. The best part is it is just five kilometres away from here. I think we should go," she begged.

He sighed. "I hope there are no monkeys over there."

"A six-foot-tall man is afraid of monkeys," teased Durga. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "I am afraid of your relatives."

"These monkeys are your relatives, too. Fine then, I will go by myself, you leave for Mysore," she replied.

Shit! This time she really got very angry. Rudra ran behind her and boarded the bus. Though they both sat on same seat, they seemed to be in different worlds. This time too, Durga sat on next to the window seat. There is something that is making him restless. Even though he tries to conceal it with fake smile and poor jokes, I can sense this change in behaviour from past three days. Devi Shakti, no matter how much I try to deviate him, he is still lost.

After ten minutes of bumpy ride, they reached a relatively deserted village. They got down on a muddy road. To their right there was a vast stretch of barren land with a temple. They strode towards the temple.

"Blow! The gates are locked," she groaned.

"We will ask someone. At least we know the name of the village, do we?"

She replied to him by shaking her head in negative.

"You don't know the name of the village? What did you tell the conductor?"

"Rudra, this was the last stop. I told him to give two tickets to the last stop..."

"Seriously, Durga, how can you be so careless?"

"Who told you come with me? I had already given you an option to leave for Mysore. Don't blame me now."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Keep calm. Where there's a will, there's a way."

"I can see only muddy way."

Ignoring his wife's irritated face, he spotted a man walking on the street. After sweet talking with him for a couple of minutes, he procured all the necessary information.

She asked, "What did he say?"

"We have to take the key from temple priest."

"Okay, so where's he?"

"He's in his house."

"Hold on! The temple priest is in his house when it is just half past eleven?"

"Durga, this temple is different. This is a temple of grama devi or village goddess. Things are decided by the designated priest. His house is at the end of this street. We better walk fast; the heat is unbearable."

"So, what's the story behind this temple?"

"We should better ask him."

After a couple of minutes, they were sweating profusely. Having reached the dead end, they entered a house. A man in his forties welcomed them. Within few minutes, they got the key and a brief information about it.

it seems that the temple was built before the reign of King Krishnadevaraya. Who built it and why is not known yet. Earlier there was no proper temple but after collecting some funds, they have built a small and decent temple. The deity is called Chennamma not to be confused by Rani Chennamma of Kittur; a brave queen from Kittur district in Karnataka who had driven Britishers from her kingdom long before Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi did.

The goddess is believed to have volatile temper. According to villagers belief if an unmarried women whose house deity is different does not worship the goddess before her marriage, it is said that her marriage will be cancelled. In this temple, one has to do puja all by themselves.

They opened the outer temple gate; washed their feet and hands with water that was kept in a steel bucket with a red plastic mug. Grey coloured walls on four sides served as the boundary. Inside, there was a tree with bright yellow flowers. A cement structure was created for seating purpose. They entered the sanctum sanctorum which was dimly lit. Small earthen lamps were lit around the corners. Rudra found a small button and switched it on.

Durga gasped. "Rudra, these are not murthis but stone carvings."

Sure enough there were five huge grey coloured stone carvings. Each carving had the goddess in different positions: one being with sword, one with some other women, one in a dance posture. They could barely see what was carved; the carvings had worn out. On the forehead, bosom, arms and legs there were yellow and red dots. A garland was hung around each stone.

They poured water and milk; Durga put yellow dots using turmeric and water paste while Rudra put red dots with vermillion and water paste on those yellow ones. She hung the garlands around each of them and he poured ghee in the earthen lamps. Together they did aarti by circling a steel plate in which an earthen lamp was lit, few flowers and camphor, seven times. Soon they wound up everything and the priest came up to take the key. They thanked him profusely for providing all the materials.

***

Thank you for reading.