Rituals and Beliefs of the Karisal Region People in the Works of K. Rajanarayanan

Abstract

Regional literature is one of the emerging disciplines of today. Regional writers create their work to reflect the lifestyles of the people in their community. In that aspect, in the writings of K. Rajanarayanan, the pioneer writer of the Karisal region, the people of the Karisal region are only included. In all of his works, KR has recorded his own soil, people, and also their roots. He narrates soulful stories without embellishing them decoratively. Beliefs are created by people, and those people are protected by society. Rituals and beliefs play a major role in man's perception of himself and society. Since the primary occupation of the Karisal people was agriculture, they were in close contact with nature. During the festivals, these people imprint the design of the trident "Sulam Saathi" on the back of a beautiful calf and bestow it on the temples. In the wedding rituals of these people, the wedding will take place over three days. The bride and groom will be led in a procession. The ritual will be held during the day. In his works, KR mentions in his literary works that these people are emigrants from the Telugu state and have high faith in Perumal and will go to see him only after God appears in a dream and invites them. Rain is man's lifeblood, and life cannot exist without it. Life will be questionable if it does not rain. The people of the Karisal region, who consider agriculture as their main occupation, are forced into extreme poverty because of severe drought when the monsoon season fails. These people, who depend on the rain for their livelihood, perform some rituals to make it rain. There was a belief among the people that if they went from house to house together and poured the cooked porridge of various grains into a bowl, mixed it together, and drank it as rain porridge, it would rain. They do not forget the soil, whether it rains or doesn’t rain. As they set up their lives depending on the soil, the affectionate feeling they have for the soil can be traced back to the role of the Annarapaakka gounder. The purpose of this article is to explore the rituals and beliefs mixed with the life of the Karisal region in the works of K.R.