Residents of coastal Karnataka marked this Deepavali with a series of rituals that blend agricultural gratitude, traditional worship and distinct Tulu customs, the celebrations unfolding across Udupi district and neighbouring taluks.
The festival coincides with the peak of the paddy harvest, allowing farming families to bring the season's yield home while offering thanks for a bountiful crop. Fields ready for cutting become a backdrop for prayers and communal feasts.
Households hung Goodu Deepa, handcrafted earthen lanterns, alongside market‑bought versions. Artisans and potters ramped up production of these lamps, a seasonal surge that sustains hundreds of cottage‑industry workers despite the growing popularity of electric lights.
At the iconic Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, priests performed Jalapuranashastra and Enne Shastra as part of the temple's Deepavali programme, drawing devotees from nearby villages.
Gopuja, the worship of cows, featured prominently on Balipadyami, the third day of the festival. Cows received a cleansing bath, floral garlands and a day of rest. In several hamlets, agricultural implements such as ploughs, yokes and sickles were also placed on altars for reverence.
A striking village rite called Mullumutte unfolded in Kaup and Padubidri. Villagers collected thorny bushes, weeds and other waste, piled the material on an elevated platform and, at dawn, ignited the heap with drums and traditional instruments. Elders explain that the blaze symbolizes the defeat of the demon Narakasura and is believed to drive away misfortune.
Alongside the fireworks, Saidinakklen Parba—literally the festival of the departed—was observed in parts of Udupi. Families retrieved personal items of deceased relatives from storage, displayed them on altars and offered prayers, thereby honouring ancestors during the festive period.
Through these layered practices, Deepavali in coastal Karnataka emerges as a vivid tapestry of light, harvest gratitude and cultural heritage, reinforcing community bonds for another year.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Mangalore Today