Udappu
Encyclopedia
Udappu or Udappuwa is a traditional Tamil fishing
and shrimp farming village. situated 65 miles (105 km) north of Colombo
the capital of Sri Lanka
in the Western Province. It is situated few miles north of Chilaw
city and Munneswaram temple
.
and on the south by Andimunai sand dunes a noted tourist attraction. It also has the Mundal Lagoon
to east of the village.
Tamils and are generally considered to be Karaiyar
caste. But others believe that they are actually Mukkuvar
who are also dominant in the east of the country and practice their unique brand of Hinduism
; their culture and lifestyle are notably different from other people engaged in fishing along the coast of Chilaw
. Most of their neighboring villages belonging to the kindred
Karave
caste and are Catholics or Buddhists and identify themselves as Sinhalese.
Due to the continuing effects of the Sri Lankan civil war
there are also a number of Tamil
refugees from rest of the country living in the village, specifically from the eastern Trincomalee
district. People in the village are adversely affected by the effects of the civil war.
month of Avani which corresponds to late July to early August, an 18-day festival commences with the flag-hoisting ceremony and ending with fire-walking
in front of Udappu's Draupati Amman
Temple. The 18-day period is spent in prayer and fasting, with a priest reciting the Mahabharata
epic to remind everyone of the story of Draupadi
, the five Pandava
brothers' common wife, whose chaste and virtuous ways enabled her to recover the kingdom they been deprived of by King Duryodhana
. The Draupadi festival comes to a conclusion on the final evening when the entire male population of Udappu walk barefoot over a bed of red hot coals without injury in a ceremony called Tee Mithi in Tamil language.(see pic here)
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and shrimp farming village. situated 65 miles (105 km) north of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
the capital of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in the Western Province. It is situated few miles north of Chilaw
Chilaw
Chilaw is a western seaboard town on the island of Sri Lanka.It is a bustling town with a famous fishmarket and beach...
city and Munneswaram temple
Munneswaram temple
Munneswaram temple is an important regional Hindu temple complex in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country. It has been in existence at least since 1000 CE, although myths surrounding the temple associate it with the popular Indian epic Ramayana, and its legendary hero-king Rama...
.
Topography
It is a coastal village bordered on the west by the Indian OceanIndian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and on the south by Andimunai sand dunes a noted tourist attraction. It also has the Mundal Lagoon
Mundal Lagoon
Mundal Lagoon is a lagoon in Puttalam District, western Sri Lanka. The lagoon is sometimes referred to as Mundal Lake.The lagoon is linked to Puttalam Lagoon to the north by a channel. The lagoon's water is brackish....
to east of the village.
Demography
The estimated population of the village is 15,000 people. The people of the village are HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Tamils and are generally considered to be Karaiyar
Karaiyar
Karaiyar, also known as Karayar, Karaiar or Kurukulam, is traditionally both a seafaring and warrior caste found in the Tamil Nadu state of India, coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora.-Origins:...
caste. But others believe that they are actually Mukkuvar
Mukkuvar
Mukkuvar also Mukkuva are a social group or caste primarily a fishing community, living in the coastal districts of Kerala, south Tamil Nadu in India and also in Sri Lanka. It is a community that has differing ethnic identities based on the state or country of domicile...
who are also dominant in the east of the country and practice their unique brand of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
; their culture and lifestyle are notably different from other people engaged in fishing along the coast of Chilaw
Chilaw
Chilaw is a western seaboard town on the island of Sri Lanka.It is a bustling town with a famous fishmarket and beach...
. Most of their neighboring villages belonging to the kindred
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
Karave
Karave
Karava also Karave, Kara, Karavaa, Kaura is a significant Sinhalese community who are considered secondary in caste to the Govigama. The Tamil equivalent is Karaiyar.- General :...
caste and are Catholics or Buddhists and identify themselves as Sinhalese.
Due to the continuing effects of the Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
there are also a number of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
refugees from rest of the country living in the village, specifically from the eastern Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
district. People in the village are adversely affected by the effects of the civil war.
Culture
The village is known for its elaborate Hindu temples and unique festivals. In the TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
month of Avani which corresponds to late July to early August, an 18-day festival commences with the flag-hoisting ceremony and ending with fire-walking
Fire-walking
Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones.Firewalking has been practiced by many people and cultures in all parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating back to Iron Age India – c. 1200 BC...
in front of Udappu's Draupati Amman
Draupati Amman
Draupati Amman is a deification of the character from the Hindu epic Mahabharatha, namely Draupadi, primarily amongst the Telugu and Tamil people of India, Sri Lanka and other countries. Draupati was the wife of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahābhārata epic.There are number of temples dedicated...
Temple. The 18-day period is spent in prayer and fasting, with a priest reciting the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
epic to remind everyone of the story of Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...
, the five Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
brothers' common wife, whose chaste and virtuous ways enabled her to recover the kingdom they been deprived of by King Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
. The Draupadi festival comes to a conclusion on the final evening when the entire male population of Udappu walk barefoot over a bed of red hot coals without injury in a ceremony called Tee Mithi in Tamil language.(see pic here)
External links
- Pictures of daily life in Udappu from FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...