Sri Lankan Male: So Festive an Occasion!

It must be one of the most thrilling festival events in Sri Lanka.

Untouched by the passage of time. >>

It is relatively unknown--even to Sri Lankans--and the location is well off the beaten path.

In this magical place, the Sri Lankan Hindu male appears to inhabit a middle zone between the realm of the spiritual and the profane.

It would appear that a precious remnant of religious tribalism is still to be found even as the Internet and technology make the world a smaller, less diverse place. One wonders how long the tradition will continue to go unspoilt by the ways of a modern world.

A place at the edge of a flat wolrd.

UDAPPU (2009)

But a small fishing village 150 km north of Colombo, this mostly Tamil settlement seems to be out of a different time.

<< Devotees are made up with paint and garlands.

In July and August of each year the village brings together water, fire and the power of the trance to honor one of their sacred spirits.

The annual festival in 2009 began on the 18th of July. An eyewitness account of the events which unfolded, along with photos and detailed explanations, can be found at the blog Udappu (Rukmani Sathyapama Sametha Sri Paarthasaarathy Thiraupathathevi Devasthanam).

Here Dushiyanthini Kanagasbapathipillai, also describes the village of Udappu and explains the significance of the events that take place.

Udappu is a very calm and quiet village. People quickly appear from nowhere to take part in the festival and disappear at the same speed. This particular village has a deep sense of tradition and rituals. The people of Udappu believe and follow the epic Mahabharatham.

The chief priest, a non-Brahmin Pandaaram, "carries out certain rituals".

He [the cheif priest] comes and stays near the of Rukmani Sathyapama Sametha Sri Paarthasaarathy Thiraupathathevi Devasthanam [the main temple] during its annual festival time, which lasts for 18 days. He heads the main ceremony throughout these 18 days.

Preparations for a massive bonfire.

The preparation for the fire pit begins a day before the fire walking with several rituals being carried out... 30 tractor loads of tamarind wood was brought for this years’ fire walking according to the president of the Rukmani Sathyapama Sametha Sri Paarthasaarathy Thiraupathathevi Devasthanam Shakthivel Malarchelvan. Pure Ghee is poured till the fire is set to orange colour.

Water bath for a guard of the deity.

D. Kanagasbapathipillai continues,

The men keep watching the fire pit and adjust the firewood accordingly.

With the sunset the men begin to take the unburnt logs away.

Water is continuously poured on the men who are very close to the fire.

"The bed of fire was ready at 8.30pm after many hours of hard work."

A tribute to fire, water and the labor of men.

The Men in Thier Moment

Whatever the rituals performed and the edifices and decorations used to create the scene, it is the human element that seems to hold the greatest power to transfix.

The men, both the youthful and the more mature, make the spectacle all the more intoxicating.

The celebration, which is at once a spiritual one, becomes, at the same time, a carnal feast.

<< Tamil youth, on their way to take part in the ritual.

If not the glistening of perspiration on their darkened bared flesh, or the penetrating scent of their adrenaline, then the excitement in the feverish movements of the men is enough to instill a burning sense of passion in the observer.

It happens both for the participants--the actors in the drama--and the spectators.

The energy that instills passion in the men on the stage, as it were, begins to spill out among the crowd of spectators who jostle to get as near to them as possible. All get caught up in the moment, to where it is no longer clear whether the object of worship is god or human.

There is really nothing better, in the midst of such a festive occasion, than to be as up-close as possible to the male devotees as they perform their passionate rituals.

The young men of Udappu feed the fire.

God made man, and said it was good.

Mind Over Matter

The beauty of the mind is just as sacred as the beauty of the flesh. That, of course, is the essence of spirituality and in opposition to the idea that all there is to hope for is outer perfection.

The power of the self is revealed in the ability to see and feel what is in the mind above what is in the flesh.

Lost in devotion, one finds himself. >>

Thus, through the power of the will, in a self-hypnotic fashion, the devout Hindu is able to feel no pain even when pain is inflicted through the heat of burning coals or the piercing of nails.

The beauty of this Hindu ritual is in the utter calm the adherent is able to maintain amidst the adversity of physical pain. This is perhaps an even more amazing feat than the perceived enlightenment the fervent Buddhist attains through persistent meditation.

A Sri Lankan Hindu worshiper in a state of utter calm while hung afloat by rope and flesh-piercing nails.

Neither a pitchfork jammed through my cheeks nor iron hooks knead through my thighs will keep me from knowing the bliss of Lord Murugan.

The photo (above) taken by well-known Sri Lankan photogrpaher, Dominic Sansoni, depicts what must be one of the most eloquent expressions of Hindu devotion that one can perform. I can imagine the thoughts of the young devotee being that of a resolute determination to commune with the God he serves.

The Christian saints and martyrs, too, have had this sort of resolute will.

A beautiful Hindu youth, made-up for the pageant. >>

Mother Teresa of Calcutta might be considered to have exemplified this not in the direct sense of nails piercing flesh but by leading a life that similarly represented surrender of self.

The beauty of Hindu ritual is that it is both transcendent and real. Real men become gods on that day, not only in an imaginary sense but in as real a manner as faith can make possible. It is not God who becomes incarnate, but man who becomes Deified.

Where men find the true god.

Sri Lanka in Festive Mood ↓

All religious traditions in Sri Lanka have their feasts and celebrations.

While the Hindu feasts are the most carnal in character, the most extravagent and inspiring spectacles are the Buddhist perahera traditions.

A handsome Sri Lankan Kandyian dancer. >>

The festivities here showcase not only the passionate male devotee in a raw display of virility, but also skilled performances by dancers, drummers, musicians and fire acrobats.

Kandy Perahera is such a spectacular event that it is probably attended by every Sri Lankan at least once in their lifetime and is well known and publicized internationally.

The annual event lasts 10 days and takes place at roughly the same time as the big festivities in Udappu. It is easy therefore for such an equally captivating event as the Udappu feast to go somewhat unnoticed.

Like most other religious and cultural events in Sri Lanka, the Kandy Perahera is hundreds of years old and serves to preserve ancient Sinhalese and Ceylonic culture in its richest form.

Kandy Perahera captured by Dominic Samsoni, evoking a sense of Sri Lanak's past.

I am afraid on my visits to Sri Lanka I have never been very inspired by the Christian or Muslim feasts. There seems to be a lack of fervor and raw emotion which naturally results from the more conservative aspects that have often been a part of these faiths.

The denigration of the carnal as being unclean and ungodly means that the beauty of the human form is veiled if not completely ostracized, as in Muslim tradition.

Hindu tradition is especially admirable in how it embraces the beauty of the creature along with the beauty of the creator. This is evident with the facades of temples being completely covered with carvings of men and gods.

Buddhism, having grown out of Hindu tradition retains a large measure of this, especially in Sri Lanka where there is to some extent a melding of traditions, especially Buddhist and Hindu.

The Christian tradition, however, cannot be so maligned in regard to its treatment of the human form. That is, the beauty of the human form is well acknowledged here too. A visit to Rome will quickly dispel any such notion that the human form is profane.

However, Christianity is mired in a dichotomy that on the one hand exalts the wonder of the created man while condemning him at the same time.

Divisible by faith.
All said, there is nothing like a Hindu feast for stirring a passion for both the things of this world and those existential.

The Udappu tradition seems to be one that time has almost forgotten and left for the lucky few who find this village to become inebriated with.

Hindu festival on the streets of Bambalapitiya in Colombo. >>

Similar pages on Sri Lankan Male:

Udappu Links:

Udappu (Rukmani Sathyapama Sametha Sri Paarthasaarathy Thiraupathathevi Devasthanam)
Gala of the Udappu Guarding Deities
Humanity Ashore

Unless otherwise indicated, all photos appearing in this SLM post are modifications of the originals from a collection of photos by Dushiyanthini Kanagasbapathipillai. While the images have been digitally modified for artistic purposes in accordance with the theme of this post, no claims of ownership of the images are being made by the author of this blog.

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Labels: culture, festival, hinduism, tamil, udappu