Topic started by R (@ h66-59-174-253.gtconnect.net) on Wed Sep 11 13:46:44 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

One P.N Kumar had written about the Khandoba cult of Maharashtra as how it is similar to the Murukan cult of TN/Kerala. Here I found an article which says the Khandoba cult belongs to that of the Mala/mahar community just like Murukan cult was tribal in origin ?

http://netinfo.hypermart.net/mala.htm

“Similarly another old cultural element which could be linked to mala-mahars is the deity Khandoba, or sword bearing protector. Here also hunting and warfare link is seen. Then there is some connection with the Parsurama cycle of legends, especially his mother Renuka. This group of legends is connected to the Yellama cult. Possibly the stories are a residual history of very long ago times, since they are shared by other old communities.. “

Responses:

• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.154.23.107) on: Wed Sep 18 07:14:16
  
  Raveen,
  
  Sorry I just noticed this thread. I wrote our 'Perisu' some time back on this. Let me post it here:
  
  
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  ¦ÁøÄ ÁÈó¾¢Õì¸ §ÅñÎõ.
  
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  ÀüÈ¢î ¦º¡øÄ Å¨Ä¢ø §¾Ê¾¢ø:
  
  http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/maharastra/khandoba/page21.htm
  
  The name Khandoba has been variously interpreted, the most commonly held belief being that it was a disorted form of Skanda, the son of Shiva.
  
  However, the deity is known by various names like
  Malhari,Malhari,Mailar,Martand, Mhalsakant, Ravalnath, Yelkoti Mahadev and it is widely popular in Maharashtra as well as Karnatak.
  
  It is more well known as Khandoba among the Marathi speaking people and as Mailar amongst the Kannad speaking people.
  
  The word Khanda means a sword and if the word is
  derived according to that meaning, and if the custom of representing Khandoba in a ling form is taken into account, there would be little
  hesitation in accepting Prof. Khare’s contention that Khandoba or Malhari is a form of Shiva.
  
  Now this Khandoba is supposed to be a warrior king and his Kshatriya aspect is emphasised.As such he has also a minister’ known as Hegadi, the same personage whose image was seen while climbing the hill and another one of the variety
  opposite the shrine. Mhalsa is the wife of Khandoba. The story goes that Mhalsa
  was the daughter of a certain grocer Timmasheti of
  Nevasa. She was born on the full moon day of Magha and was married to the god on the full moon day of Pausha. Banai whose image also had been
  noted earlier is the other wife of Khandoba.
  
  However, certain traditions treat her not as a legal wife but as keep of Khandoba. She is supposed to belong to the Dhangar community.
  
  According to other legends more common in the Kanarese regions this Banai or Palai is a properly married wife of Khandoba, the
  marriage taking place at Naldrug on the full moon day of Shravan.
  
  Very often the horse and the dog appear as icono-
  graphical attributes of Khandoba. The slogan ‘Yelkot’ means the leader of a
  crore troops.
  
  The earliest known references to Khandoba and
  Mhalsa go back to the thirteenth century.
  
  «Ê§Âý «¸ò¾¢Ââø ÓýÉ÷ ±Ø¾¢Â Á¼Ä¢ø ¸ñ§¼¡À¡ À¢ÃõÁâ¦ÂýÚ ±Ø¾¢ÂÐ ¾ÅÚ. ÅûÇ¢ §¾Å¡¨É ¸¨¾ §À¡Ä§Å ­ÃñÎ §¾Å¢Â÷.
  
  Ó츢ÂÁ¡öî ¦º¡øÄ Åó¾Ð:
  ­ì§¸¡Â¢ÖìÌõ ¾¡í¸û ±Ø¾¢ ÅÕõ Ááò¾¢ÂôÒÄ¢ ÀüÈ¢Â
  ¾¢Ã¢ìÌõ ¦¾¡¼÷ÒñÎ. 1662-ø º¢Å¡ƒ¢ ¾õ ¾ó¨¾¨Âî ºó¾¢òÐ ´Õ Ó츢 ÓʦÅÎì¸ ik­§¸¡Â¢ÖìÌ Åó¾¢Õ󾾡öî ¦º¡ø¸¢ÈÐ ¾ÄÒá½õ.
  
  «ýÒ¼ý,
  ÌÁ¡÷
  
  
• From: P.N.Kumar (@ 202.154.23.107) on: Wed Sep 18 07:21:53
  
  Pl read through this link - my recent article on macro / microcosmic aspects of this form:
  
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agathiyar/message/19336
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agathiyar/message/19337
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agathiyar/message/19338
  
  
• From: R (@ h66-59-174-253.gtconnect.net) on: Wed Sep 18 15:11:45
  
  Some intersting similarities between worship in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
  ------------------------------
  
  1) How swambulinga’s become associated with Khandoba, it looks more like Virakal worship of Tamil Nadu)
  
  http://travel.indiamart.com/maharashtra/pilgrimage/jejuri.html
  
  A view of the temple
  http://www.aroundpune.com/images/jejuri3.jpg
  2) and Khandoba himself riding a horse like the Kaval deivams in TN
  
  http://www.lowemuseum.org/ggml/index.cfm?menuOption=details&ID_NUMBER=95.0022.05
  
  3) Looks like they do Kavadi like attams too, read
  
  “The passages and steps leading to the temple are an arena of cultural and religious rites/rituals. We come across performers like the Waghyas and Muralis, who sing and dance in the praise of the deity. Other rituals such as Bagad or hanging a man from a pole with the help of hooks inserted in the skin of his back and langar or breaking of steel chains as well as Hal or walking on fire, in fulfillment of ones vows, are also performed. The Holkars, Holams and Khaire families perform Kathya, where they ceremoniously wrap red turbans to tall bamboos and touch the Shikhara (tip) of the temple.”
  http://www.indbazaar.com/travel/printhtm.asp?artid=34
  
  
  Hence I found three points of external ritualitic convergences associated with tribal worship gone mainstream in TN and M'rashtra.
  
  Now the experts (local vaerity)
  -------------------------
  Looks like people have already done a comparative analysis between Khandoba cult and Murukan cukt
  
  http://murugan.org/research/agniswaran.htm
  
  http://murugan.org/research/rohitpillai.htm
  
  The guy who dedicate his life for study of this cult
  --------------------------------------
  One has to read Günther-Dietz Sontheimer the preeminent researcher on Khandoba cult.
  
  A little bio on him
  
  “l. teachings and works of Brahmins, 2. the idea of world renunciation, 3. tribal religions, 4. folk religion, and 5. bhakti. The characterization and description of Hinduism as a constellation or combination of these five components instead of as a homogenous whole may be regarded as the quintessence of Sontheimer's many individual studies and thus as a kind of intellectual legacy.”
  
  http://www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/IND/index/mitarbe/sta/inmem.htm
  
  Great book on Khandoba cult
  
  "Taken together, the essays in this volume show how Sontheimer's thoughts about Khandoba developed, and illustrate the great breadth of his understanding of the cult. The articles take into account the differing traditions of the wide variety of castes and tribes for whose members Khandoba (or Mallanna or Mailara) is an important God, and make use of the various kinds of source materials that Sontheimer gathered--ovis, oral epics, of the Dhangar shepherds; narratives, comments and statements made by people belonging to various groups; the songs (padem) of the vaghyas and muralis, Khandoba's "bards' and "courtesants"; the Sankrit and Marathi Mahatmyas composed by Brahmans; descriptions and remarks searched out in the literature of Mahanubhavs, the Varkaris, and other medieval saints; and stray references culled from published and unpublished historical documents. "Sontheimer understood the Khandoba cult to be a "mirror of Hinduism". His writings on Khandoba provide an extraordinarily rich glimpse into that mirror." (jacket)
  
  http://www.vedamsbooks.com/no12729.htm
  
  http://ignca.nic.in/ks_35.htm
  
  A dalit perspective on Khandoba cult
  ---------------------------------
  
  “Besides writing articles, Kamble conducted various meetings to awaken and enlighten people and appealed to them to abandon the practice of offering girls to the god and goddess of Jejuri known as Khandoba and Yellamama. “
  
  http://www.sabrang.com/cc/archive/2001/may01/cover2.htm
  
  As you can see I did not have a lot to do this afternoon so spent my time looking for Khandoba Cult :-))))
  
  

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