YERCAUD: The revenue and police officials on Monday camped at Vellakadai village, 15 km from Yercaud, to check if village women performed nude dance to appease god on the fourth day after Pongal.
The controversial ritual came to light after electronic media allegedly reported that the women of Vellakadai performed nude dance while the men stayed away from dawn to dusk. After the report came to light, the district administration has been video recording the celebrations.
On Monday the junior level women staff from revenue and police departments entered the village early in the morning to record and report the happenings. They later reported that no nude dance took place.
Accusing the media of defaming the village, the villagers said they have never witnessed or heard of a nude dance performed as part of the Pongal celebrations but admit that the ritual was in vogue several decades ago.
According to Annadurai (47), the former Panchayat president of Vellakadai, the Malayali tribal women used to conduct a nude dance with religious fervor. It was believed that if any male sees the women dancing, he would be punished. According to Velliamma (81), a British officer who strayed into the village during the went blind instantly. Both Anna Durai and Velliamma deny that nude dance ritual takes place in these modern days.
According to Yercaud tahsildhar Ramesh, “It is the women-only character of the ritual that causes doubt in the minds of people. No nude ritual is being performed these days.”
