MYSORE: The devotees at the Chamrajnagara’s Bhanari Mariyamma temple have drawn people’s attention by worshipping with ‘locked mouth’ with a pierced steel rod weighing 2-3 kg.
The number of devotees locking their mouths piercing steel rod into both sides of their cheeks without any damage to the tongues has swelled in recent years. Many belive that worshipping by locking the mouth has resloved health and family problems.
These rituals are held at Vaneyar (Ganiga shetty’s) community owned Mariyamma temple at Chamrajnagara’s Gundlupet temple, ten days before or after Ugadi festival.
This annual festival held at the 64-year-old temple in the bordering town is also considered to have been influenced by Tamil Nadu.
The devotees interested to lock the mouth are told to go on fast during nights for nine days and worship at Mariyamma or at the nearest Adi Shakthi temple. On the tenth day, in the presence of the head priest and temple supervisory committee members, steel rods varying from 6-ft to 14-ft, are spiked into the cheeks of the devotees.
The devotees go round the prominent streets in the town with a belief that they have fulfilled their vows.
Bhanari Mariyappa temple trustee, Govindaraju said that the spiking does not give pain or one is suffered of blood loss due to this. He said that the spiked iron rod is removed in the evening and the damaged part is treated with termeric powder.
The devotees are advised to take liquid food three days after the worship. However, the scar remains on both the cheeks for some time.
He said that many devotees belive that they are worshipping local deity in a unique way and most of them have overcome worrying about their families.
About 35 Venyar families based at Chamrajnagar are managing temple and have been organising annual rituals, attracting devotees from across the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.
