KURNOOL: People of Santhekudlur village bordering Karnataka, have a tradition of celebrating Holi in a different manner. As per the tradition, young and married men in the village donning women’s attire visit the local Rati Manmatha temple and offer prayers to Kamadeva. They also offer silk clothes to the presiding deity as per the custom. They celebrated the festival of colours as per the tradition on Friday.
Explaining the strange tradition, Rati Manmatha temple priest Vijaya Kumar said, “It is a belief among villagers that Kamadeva will bless the families with happiness and prosperity if the Lord is worshipped by men in the attire of a woman on the occasion of Holi.” The villagers who settled in nearby towns in Kurnool district and major metros Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, used to come to their native place Santhekudlur for Holi every year to worship Kamadeva.
The festival of colours is celebrated for two days. On the first day of the festival, Rathotsavam is held in the temple in the evening, he added. K Guru Lingappa, a fertiliser dealer who offered prayers at Rati Manmatha temple dressed as a woman, said the tradition has been continuing in the village for several centuries. “I have been following the path shown by my ancestors and worshipping Kamadeva in the woman’s attire on the occasion of Holi every year. My business in Adoni is flourishing due to the blessings of Kamadeva and Lord Basavanna,” he said. Echoing the same sentiment, Chinna Hothurappa said he is leading a happy life due to the blessings of Kamadeva.