Dakkebali is a form of

snake worship Snake worship is devotion to serpent deities. The tradition is present in several ancient cultures, particularly in religion and mythology, where snakes were seen as the holders of knowledge, strength, and renewal. Near East Ancient Mesopotam ...

, also referred to as ''

nagaradhane Nagaradhane is a form of serpent worship which, along with Bhuta Kola, is one of the unique traditions prevalent in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod collectively known as Tulu Nadu, practiced by Tuluva communi ...

'' as well as worship of nature by

Tulu people The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannad ...

of Tulunadu. It is typically practiced in the town of

Padubidri Padubidri or Padubidre or Padubedre in Tulu language is a small town in coastal district of Udupi in Karnataka state, India. Padubidri is on the way from Udupi to Mangalore route. National Highway 17 (now NH 66) passes through Padubidri. Padubi ...

in the

Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven taluks, ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The festival is held once every other year, alternating with the

Paryaya Paryaya is a religious ritual which takes place every alternate year in Sri Krishna Matha (Krishna Temple) of Udupi. The puja and administration of Krishna Matha is distributed among the Swamijis (seer or monk or pontiff) of Ashta Matha's esta ...

festival at nearby

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

. It is also held every year in Thantrady Bairy Bettu

Udupi District Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven taluks, ...

Dakkebali (Bramha mandala). This pooja is performed for Naga, Bramha, Raktheshwari, Nandikonna, Haygulli, Kshetrapala, Bagilu Bobbarya, Motukalu Bobbarya, and Yakshi. This is Pancha Shaiva kshetra, and the current priest is Sri Nagaraja Bairy. At present Dakkebali will be performed every two years at Naga and Bramha by the Ramanna Bairy Family and devotees from nearby places.

About Dakkebali

Dakkebali are the result of everyone present praying with intense Bhakthi (devotion), making intricate gifts to the Lord, dancing to music, deepas (light), drawing Mandalas, flowers, fruits, and pingara, and praying together̤ The Vaidya family of the

District is mostly in charge of producing Dakke Bali. The dakke instrument is played by Vaidyaas as an inherited skill. They live in Nalkoor, a neighbourhood in the Udupi region. Men dress in a way that represents Naaga Kannike. Naaga kannike is typically played by senior vaidyas. The Vaidyaas play dakke in their palms to call upon the spirits. They initially set up the dakke at the sacred location, pray, and play music over it until the local pathirs become possessed. During worship, they move sporadically due to this possession. It is referred to as Dakke Bali. This motion represents the meeting of a male and female snake, and the number of spiral rounds has a count made up of twists known as ass mudi, or knots. As originally intended, they invoke the pathris, who are thought to be the male snakes that follow the nagakannike, by signing songs and portraying them in nartana manner. Up till they merge, it is mudi clockwise. Then the anticlockwise mudi represents the separation.

Mandala

The intricate Mandala, which is a serpent-shaped design drawn in natural hues, is a key component of the decorating. Yellow (

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...

(turmeric with white lime), white (white mud), green (leaf powder), and black(roasted paddy husk) are the natural colours utilised. This mandala depicts the divine union of male and female snakes and is drawn by the Panara community in the shape of a rectangle. Dakke Bali, along with

Bhuta Kola Būta Kōlā,/buːt̪ʌ/ is the local pronunciation while the standardised Kannada pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ also referred to as daiva kōlā or nēmā, is a ritual dance performance prevalent among the Hindus of Tulu Nadu an ...

is one of the ritual dance forms practiced in

Tulunadu Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are ...

. Together with

Yakshagana Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...

, this region boasts a variety of folk dance forms.

External links

See Nagamandala

References

Dances of India Ritual dances Festivals in Karnataka {{Culture of Tulunadu

About Dakkebali

Mandala

See also

External links

References