(An Opinion Piece by Vinayakan Sajeev Beena )
Onam, one of Kerala’s most celebrated festivals, often evokes images of flower carpets, feasts, and joyous gatherings. Yet, beneath these vibrant celebrations lies a complex and contested history—one that speaks to the enduring struggles over power, identity, and resistance. At the heart of this history is the figure of Mahabali (Maveli), the benevolent Asura king whose story challenges Brahminical supremacy and symbolises the fight of Avarna communities against the domination of the caste system.
The term "Avarna," originally used in a derogatory sense to refer to communities outside the traditional varna (caste) system, has since been reclaimed by these historically oppressed groups. Today, it is worn with pride, representing a defiance of the oppressive social structures imposed by the Brahminical (feudal Brahmin caste) order. This reclamation marks a crucial aspect of the resistance against the narratives that once sought to marginalise these communities.
The Story of Mahabali: The Benevolent Avarna-Asura King
Mahabali’s legend, deeply rooted in Kerala’s folklore, tells of a just ruler who governed a land of peace, equality, and prosperity. His reign was a time when all people, regardless of social status, lived in harmony. However, Mahabali’s popularity and power threatened the Devas, the celestial beings representing the Aryan order. The Devas saw his rule as a disruption to the “cosmic order” they were tasked to protect—a hierarchical order that maintained their supremacy.
To undermine Mahabali, the Devas enlisted Lord Vishnu, who took the form of Vamana, a Brahmin dwarf. Vamana approached Mahabali with a seemingly humble request: three feet of land. The generous king agreed, but Vamana quickly revealed his true intentions by expanding to cover the earth and sky with his first two steps. Mahabali, realising he had been deceived, offered his head for the third, accepting his fate with grace. He was then banished to the netherworld (Patala), but was granted permission to return once a year to visit his people, an event celebrated as Onam.
While Onam is popularly recognised as a harvest festival marking Mahabali’s annual return, it also carries profound implications of power struggles and the subjugation of indigenous and Avarna identities. The myth of Vamana represents the Aryan-Brahminical invasion, whereby the egalitarian rule of Mahabali was overthrown to establish a rigid caste system that benefited the Brahminical (feudal caste) order.
The Aryanisation of Kerala: A Historical Perspective
Scholars such as Dr KS Gracy and Ajay Shekhar have interpreted the Mahabali-Vamana legend as a reflection of the Aryanisation of Kerala. Mahabali represents the Dravidian or Avarna communities, while the Devas, and more specifically Vamana, represent the Aryan-Brahminical forces that sought to impose their caste-based social order on Kerala’s indigenous people.
This historical lens positions Onam as a festival of resistance. Mahabali’s defeat symbolises the destruction of a society that once embraced equality and justice, replaced by a system that entrenched caste hierarchies and exploitation. The Brahminical order, supported by religious narratives, sought to dominate the Avarna and so-called "lower caste" communities, violating their rights to property and exploiting their labour through feudal structures.
Sahodaran Ayyappan and the Onapattu: A Song of Resistance
Sahodaran Ayyappan, a pioneering social reformer and disciple of Sree Narayana Guru, offered a radical reinterpretation of Onam through his celebrated Onappattu. In this song, Ayyappan critiques the Brahminical (feudal caste) dominance and celebrates Mahabali’s reign as a time of equality, devoid of caste discrimination and untouchability.
Let us first explore the complete Malayalam version of Ayyappan’s Onappattu:
ഓണപ്പാട്ട്
- സഹോദരൻ അയ്യപ്പൻ
മാവേലി നാടു വാണീടും കാലംമാനുഷരെല്ലാരും ഒരുപോലെ
ആമോദത്തോടെ വസിക്കും കാലംആപത്തങ്ങാര്‍ക്കുമൊട്ടില്ലതാനും
കള്ളവുമില്ല, ചതിവുമില്ലഎള്ളോളമില്ല, പൊളിവചനം
തീണ്ടലുമില്ല, തൊടീലുമില്ലവേണ്ടാതനങ്ങള്‍ മറ്റൊന്നുമില്ല
ചോറുകള്‍ വച്ചുള്ള പൂജയില്ലജീവിയെക്കൊല്ലുന്ന യാഗമില്ല
ദല്ലാള്‍ വഴിക്കീശ സേവയില്ലവല്ലാത്ത ദൈവങ്ങളൊന്നുമില്ല
സാധുധനിക വിഭാഗമില്ലമൂലധനത്തിന്‍ ഞെരുക്കമില്ല
ആവതവരവര്‍ ചെയ്‌തു നാട്ടില്‍ഭൂതി വളര്‍ത്താന്‍ ജനം ശ്രമിച്ചു
വിദ്യ പഠിക്കാന്‍ വഴിയേവര്‍ക്കുംസിദ്ധിച്ചു മാബലി വാഴും കാലം
സ്ത്രീക്കും പുരുഷനും തുല്യമായിവാച്ചു സ്വതന്ത്രതയെന്തു ഭാഗ്യം?
കാലിയ്ക്കുകൂടി ചികിത്സ ചെയ്യാന്‍ആലയം സ്ഥാപിച്ചിതന്നു മര്‍ത്ത്യര്‍
സൗഗതരേവം പരിഷ്‌കൃതരായ്‌സര്‍വ്വം ജയിച്ചു ഭരിച്ചുപോന്നാര്‍
ബ്രാഹ്മണര്‍ക്കീര്‍ഷ്യ വളര്‍ന്നുവന്നീഭൂതി കെടുക്കാനവര്‍ തുനിഞ്ഞു
കൗശലമാര്‍ന്നൊരു വാമനനെവിട്ടു ചതിച്ചവര്‍ മാബലിയെ
ദാനം കൊടുത്ത സുമതിതന്റെശീര്‍ഷം ചവിട്ടിയാ യാചകനും
അന്നുതൊട്ടിന്ത്യയധഃപതിച്ചുമന്നിലധര്‍മ്മം സ്ഥലം പിടിച്ചു
ദല്ലാല്‍ മതങ്ങള്‍ നിറഞ്ഞു കഷ്ടംകൊല്ലുന്ന ക്രൂരമതവുമെത്തി
വര്‍ണ്ണവിഭാഗവ്യവസ്ഥ വന്നുമന്നിടം തന്നെ നരകമാക്കി
മര്‍ത്ത്യനെ മര്‍ത്ത്യനശുദ്ധനാക്കു-അയിത്ത പിശാചും കടന്നുകൂടിതന്നിലശക്തന്റെ മേലില്‍ക്കേറിതന്നില്‍ ബലിഷ്‌ഠന്റെ കാലുതാങ്ങും
സ്നേഹവും നാണവും കെട്ട രീതിമാനവര്‍ക്കേകമാം ധര്‍മ്മമായി
സാധുജനത്തിന്‍ വിയര്‍പ്പു ഞെക്കിനക്കിക്കുടിച്ചു മടിയര്‍ വീര്‍ത്തു
നന്ദിയും ദീനകരുണതാനുംതിന്നു കൊഴുത്തിവര്‍ക്കേതുമില്ല
സാധുക്കളക്ഷരം ചൊല്ലിയെങ്കില്‍ഗര്‍വ്വിഷ്ടരീ ദുഷ്‌ടര്‍ നാക്കറുത്തു
സ്ത്രീകളിവര്‍ കളിപ്പാനുള്ളപാവകളെന്നു വരുത്തിവച്ചു
ആന്ധ്യമസൂയയും മൂത്തു പാരംസ്വാന്തബലം പോയ്‌ ജനങ്ങളെല്ലാം
കഷ്ടമേ, കഷ്ടം! പുറത്തുനിന്നു-മെത്തിയോര്‍ക്കൊക്കെയടിമപ്പട്ടു
എത്ര നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകള്‍ നമ്മളേവംബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുന്നു സഹോദരരേ
നമ്മെയുയര്‍ത്തുവാന്‍ നമ്മളെല്ലാ-മൊന്നിച്ചുണരണം കേള്‍ക്ക നിങ്ങള്‍
ബ്രാഹ്മണോപജ്ഞമാം കെട്ട മതംസേവിപ്പവരെ ചവിട്ടും മതം
നമ്മളെത്തമ്മിലകറ്റും മതംനമ്മള്‍ വെടിയണം നന്മ വരാന്‍
സത്യവും ധര്‍മ്മവും മാത്രമല്ലൊസിദ്ധിവരുത്തുന്ന ശുദ്ധമതം
ധ്യാനത്തിനാലെ പ്രബുദ്ധരായദിവ്യരാല്‍ നിര്‍ദ്ദിഷ്ടമായ മതം
ആ മതത്തിന്നായ്‌ ശ്രമിച്ചിടേണംആ മതത്തിന്നു നാം ചത്തിടേണം
വാമനാദര്‍ശം വെടിഞ്ഞിടേണംമാബലിവാഴ്‌ച വരുത്തിടേണം
ഓണം നമുക്കിനി നിത്യമെങ്കില്‍ഊനംവരാതെയിരുന്നുകൊള്ളും
........
Ayyappan’s Onappattu is a powerful call for the restoration of a society based on justice and equality. Through verses like “There is no untouchability, no rich, no poor” and “The Brahmins grew restless and sought to destroy this prosperity”, he critiques the imposition of caste hierarchies that disrupted Mahabali’s just reign. The poem also highlights the exploitation of bonded labourers and the theft of their resources by the Brahminical (feudal caste) lords, who used religious authority to justify their control.
Ayyappan condemns the Brahminical rituals that dehumanised the Avarna communities. The verse, “There were no sacrifices that took lives,” speaks directly to the oppressive religious practices that legitimised violence against so-called "lower castes," while “There were no oppressive gods to control people” rejects the use of religion as a tool for caste-based exploitation.
Ayyappan's Critique of Feudalism and Brahminical Oppression
Ayyappan’s critique goes beyond the myth of Vamana and Mahabali. His writings reflect a broader critique of feudalism, where the Brahminical caste (feudal caste) not only maintained social supremacy through religious means but also controlled property and resources, exploiting the labour of the Avarna communities. The Onappattu exposes how the Brahminical caste violated the property rights of bonded labourers, taking their land and resources, and using their power to perpetuate an oppressive social order.
By highlighting the evils of untouchability, caste discrimination, and feudal exploitation, Ayyappan’s work serves as a powerful reminder of the injustices that persist in society. His call to “reject the ideals of Vamana” and “restore the reign of Mahabali” is a clarion call for social reform, urging society to return to a state of equality and justice.
Reviving Mahabali’s Legacy: Onam as Resistance
Today, many Dalits, Adivasis, and Avarna groups in Kerala see Onam not just as a celebration of Mahabali’s return, but as a symbol of resistance against caste-based oppression. For these communities, Mahabali represents a time before the imposition of Brahminical feudalism—a time when social hierarchies did not divide society.
Reclaiming Mahabali’s legacy is an act of defiance against the continuing dominance of caste-based structures. It is a reminder that the fight for equality and justice is far from over. Ayyappan’s interpretation of Onam remains as relevant today as it was when he first penned his Onappattu. His vision of a society free from caste-based exploitation, where all people live with dignity, continues to inspire those who seek to challenge the oppressive structures that remain entrenched in Indian society.
Reclaiming Onam as an Avarna-Asura Celebration
Onam, as envisioned by Sahodaran Ayyappan, is more than a festival. It is a celebration of resistance—a reminder of Kerala’s egalitarian past, and a call to reclaim the ideals of Mahabali’s rule. Ayyappan’s work challenges the narratives that glorify Vamana’s deceit, urging society to reject caste hierarchies and the feudal structures that continue to oppress Avarna communities.
As Malayalis around the world celebrate Onam, it is important to remember the deeper significance of the festival. In reclaiming the legacy of Mahabali, we honour the values of justice, equality, and resistance that defined his reign. Ayyappan’s Onappattu remains a powerful testament to the possibility of a world free from oppression, where all people are treated with dignity and respect.
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