Today is the biggest festival in Kerala, Onam is held in honour of Mahabali the greatest king who ruled Kerala aeons ago.. And who was Mahabali?
Mahabali was an Assura or a Dravida king. He loved his people and his people loved him even more. His popularity and power was worrisome with the the Vedic tribes who lived in Mahabali's kingdom. So they pleaded with their Vedic gods to do something about Mahabali and his growing popularity. The Vedic gods pondered over it for days on end and then they called their trouble-shooter Vishnu to handle the problem. Accordingly the Treacherous Vishnu took on the guise of a Brahmin. The treacherous Brahmin then partly limped and partly crawled and caughed his way to Mahabali's kingdom. There the good Dravidian subjects of Mahabali saw the pitiable state that was the Brahmin was in. They asked him who he was and what ailed him. He stammered and caughed out in a an almost inaudible voice that his name was Vaman and that his own family and society had abandoned him to the vagaries of fate. The good Dravidians were moved to tears and took the beggar to their king. The king and his goodness was no match for the wiles of the Brahmanic/Vedic treacheries. As was the custom among the Dravidians, Mahabali received Vaman with a hearty hug as Krishna had received Kuchel and asked Vaman what was it that he wanted. Vaman stuttered, coughed and stammered and explained how his own family and society and caste had abandoned him and that he was gasping for his last breath. Then as if in his last gasp of breath the wily Vaman told Mahabali that his last dying wish was that he be given three feet deep of earth for his burial. Mahabali was a simple man as are all dravidians. It did not occur to Mahabali's simple mind that Vedic Brahmins cremated their dead and so did not need any measure of earth. Generous as he was, Mahabali granted the treacherous request of Vishnu. Mahabali sent his men to measure out the three feet deep earth. However the treacherous Brahmin pleaded that he would rather measure the land himself with his own feet. The hospitable Mahabali thought nothing of it and nodded his head in consent. Immediately the treacherous Vishnu stopped his coughing and gasdping and grew to gigantic dimensions with his feet far bigger than his body and large enough to go round the globe. The treacherous Brahmin put his foot on the ground and it encircled the globe. Then like the soldiers at Wagah boarder Vishnu raised his feet and and it filled up the sky and the heavens. Then he turned on Mahabali with a murderous look on his face and demanded where he should put his next foot-measure. The honourable Dravidian king was taken aback. He had not come across such treachery among his own people. How could he fulfil his promise to the "poor Brahmin" with his huge feet between the earth and sky. No solution came to the simple and generous king. So he knelt down and bowed before the treacherous Brahmin and begged him for forgiveness . But the towering monster would have none of it. He lifted his huge feet once more to the sky like the soldiers at Wagah boarder and brought it down with all the force he could muster onto the head of the kneeling Dravidian king and banished the good king to the nether worlds. However his subjects were distraught and sad at the fate of their beloved king. There was wailing breast beating all over Kerala and the people decided to do something about it. So they gheraoed the monster incarnation who had then calmed down. He told the people that he would not have the king back on his former throne. However he would allow Mahabali to return once a year to his beloved subjects. Now the great king visits his subjects every year with tears flowing down his cheeks on account of the subjugation of his people by the Brahmanic tribes. However his people cant bear to see their king in tears. So they dress up well and feast on the day his annual return to tell their king that he need not sorrow over them. This day of Mahabali's return his beloved people is Onam. Onam is this show put on by the Keralites for their beloved king who was banished to the nether world by you know who.
Now the ultimate twist is that in popular arts Mahabali is depicted as a Brahmin with the sacred thread and all. This shows that the people with the sacred thread have again got away with the treachery their Vishnu palmed off on Mahabali.
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Regards
Xavier William
The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion. Arthur C. Clarke
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