Dakkebali is a form of

snake worship Snake worship is devotion to serpent deities. The tradition is nearly universal in the religions and mythologies of ancient cultures, where snakes were seen as the holders of knowledge, strength, and renewal. Near East Ancient Mesopotamia Anc ...

, 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 communit ...

'' as well as worship of nature by

Tulu people The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural 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 Tulunadu. It is typically practiced in the town of

Padubidri Padubidri /Padubidre (in Kannada) or Paddedra (in Tulu) 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 66 (earlier known as NH 17) passes through P ...

in the

Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi () in Kannada 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 old north Malabar c ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. 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 () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

. It is also held every year in Thantrady Bairy Bettu

Udupi District Udupi district (also Udipi () in Kannada 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 old north Malabar c ...

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 together. 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 mudi, or knots. As originally intended, they invoke the pathris, who are thought to be the male snakes that follow the nagakannike, by singing 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 (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

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 col ...

(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 Sanskrit+Tulu pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ also referred to as Daiva Kōlā or Daiva Nēmā, is a shamanistic Hindu dance performance practised, believed a ...

, is one of the ritual dance forms practiced in

Tulunadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, and are the predominant ethnic group of the region. Sou ...

. Together with

Yakshagana Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, found in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod district and Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur district, Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Keral ...

, this region boasts a variety of folk dance forms.

External links

See Nagamandala
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References

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

About Dakkebali

Mandala

See also

External links

References