Bhuthala Pandya's Aliya Kattu

Have you ever wondered why Tulunadu custom is different from others? In the sense, even if the girl gets married, she is not separated from her mother’s family. Why Tulunadu family needs girls more than boys?

For this you have to know about Bhuthala Pandya, the one who made this system for future descendants.

There was the king named Deva pandya. One day, he got a vision to create a ship from the tree of white Ixora (kepula). He became interested in his vision and started discovering this tree. He wasn't able to cut when he finally found that tree.

 So, he prays to god that “mara maguruṇḍa, kaḍe tuṇḍūn kāntēśvara dēvereg, koḍi tuṇḍunu kōṭēśvara dēvereg oppava, naḍu tuṇḍuḍu  paḍagu sīlava" (if in case tree falls, then bottom of the tree will be given to kantheshwara temple and top of the tree will be given to koteshwara temple. The middle of the tree will be used to build ship).

  Luckily the Tree falls and the king followed the way he promised. But when they planned to send his merchant ship to the sea, there was trouble faced by the divine called Kundodara (Kundodara may be Bermer who was worshiped by early Tuluvas) who demanded for human sacrifice.

King planned to sacrifice his one boy child among 16 children. But, when he requested with his wife, she refused to give away her son by sending all of her children to her native. King was really tensed about this situation. 

That time, the king sister Satyavathi came forward and gave her son Jaya pandya for sacrifice. During the preparation of sacrifice. Kundodara spared the life of the boy making next person for Throne of his uncle and allowed the ship for sailing. They sailed in ship and bought treasure to their kingdom.  The king felt really happy from his sisters sathyavathi and her son Jaya pandya; who were ready to do anything for Deva pandya

He declared his nephew as king after him. And he implemented this matrilineal system (Aliya Kattu) Aliya Kattu means, the right of the family will be transferred from maternal uncle to his eldest nephew.it is also told that, 30 rules for Aliya Kattu which had caste system and division of respective occupation was done by Bhuthala Pandya’s. (Which may be true or may not be).

bhuthala Pandya

   

It might also be possible to impliment this custom so that the land and other valuable things which is relating one family don’t go out of their hand. So, if they give birth to girl child family  will expand. From this, girl child was given equally respected in Tuluva society.

But We can also find discrimination happening with girls in later time. If the girl was not married after her maturity. She was blind folded and left in forest so that she might be eaten by wild animals. We can find this in Koti-Chennaya stories were their mother Deyi Bhaidethi was born is brahmin family who left her in the forest blind folded because she was not married and later on she was nourished by some other person. there are few womens who also fought against it,like Akkerasu siri.

The people who had their actual origin in this Tulunadu only follow this Aliya Kattu and the people those who have migrated from other places don’t follow this custom for example brahmins etc.

 In Tuluvas weddings, boy do not come to marry girl. Instead, bride is supposed to come to marry groom. We can also observe during kola, Daiva uses a proverb called “aana nirel dh Ponna siri mutta” which shows both the genders are treated same in Tulunadu.

Ⓒvishal kadri