The epic of Siri also called as Siri sandi or Siri paddana is the longest oral literature of Tulu. This epic is about a Bunt princess and her dynasty. It explains the life story of seven Siri’s (Ēḷver Sirikuḷu) in the form of poem.
The epic of Siri is sung while performing the Siri Jatre also called as DaliyoPaliyo.The Siri Jatre is held annually. Siri is worshipped across Tulunad in the shrines dedicated to Siri and her progeny, these shrines are called Adi Alade.
The summary of Siri paDdana:
Somaladevi of Satyanapura Palace was married to Bermalwa of Aryabannaya lineage of Majalottuboodu. They wished to have a baby girl. The Bermalva worshiped the Bermer of Satyanapura to bless a baby child. Then the Bermer came toward Bermalva in the guise of a Brahmin and gave him a sheet of Pingara( Flower of Areca tree). The Bermalwa brought the Pingara and placed it in the stone box at home. Just then, from inside the Kalla Kalembi (stone box), it sounded like a child crying. Bermalva was surprised when he saw a baby girl in the stone box and then named her as Akkerusu Siri.
After Akkerusu became an adult, Bermalva arranged the marriage of Siri with Kaanthupoonja of Barsur palace, by promising Bermana Alva that Kanthu Poonja would look after the administration of both the principalities (Majaluttu Boodu and Basrur Boodu) without any difference of rank and do funeral after he died
After getting married with Kaanthupoonja, she faces lot of injustice from him. Kaanthupoonja had several affairs but she wasn’t supposed to question him because of male dominated society. After she became pregnant, Bayake Shastra was held for her. Among Tuluvas there is a practice of dedicating a saree to the pregnant women during bayake shastra, so Kaanthupoonja bought a saree from Kundapura city. But on the way when he was returning from Kundapura, he visited to the house of a prostitute, during dallying with her, he shows off the saree to the prostitute. She wore the saree and forced Kaanthupoonja to give the saree to her. Then Kaanthupoonja convinces her that this saree is for his wife’s Bayake Shastra, he would give another saree for her. Then he takes the saree from her and return to house.
After returning to home, Kaanthupoonja gifted the saree for Akkerasu Siri. But she got to know that the saree was defiled and she refused to wear the saree. Akkerasu Siri who was born with divine energy was able to know each and everything whatever Kaanthupoonja did. Later Siri wore the saree that was gifted from her father’s house. When Kaanthupoonja was insulted, he planned to take revenge against his wife.
Then she went to Satyanapura palace and after some time she Akkerasu Siri gave birth to a baby boy named after Kumara koti punja. Astrologer had warned Bermana Alva(grandfather of the Kumara) earlier by seeing astrology about him that if grandfather sees grandson’s face, he will die.
One day in the inevitable situation Grandpa sees the grandson’s face and kisses him. As of astrologer’s warning word grandpa bermana alva died soon after. Kanthupoonja need to perform his funeral as of promise But Kanthu punja didn’t come Sathyanapura to perform the funeral for Bermalva And didn’t respond to message. Akkerasu Siri herself proceeds to prepare for the funeral (this is another revolutionary step by Akkerasu Siri).
Meanwhile shankar alva son of Sooda Annu shetty who distantly relative to bermana alva demands share in the satyanapura property in front of dead body, it is a conspiracy of Kanthu Poonja against Siri by joining hands with Shankar alva.
(There were many who wanted to have that sathyanapura administration, shankar alva also one of them). Akkerasu Siri ignored all of these and put the body of bermana alva on pyre and did the funeral alone.
This created a committee(pattheri koota) to condemn siri’s antagonist decision and took judgement in favour of shankar alva, it decides Siri has no rights on satyanapura property.
Akkerasu Siri walked out from Satyanapura with infant Kumara and maid servant Daru. While she curses the whole Palace burn-out, except the cradle room of Kumara.
The Palace caught fire as Siri cursed, Daru looked back and told Siri about the Palace burning. Siri replies, “Daru, I told you already don’t look back and don’t tell anything to me you’ve seen, for that I pray to the lord berma to save a part of bermana alva’s room also with Kumara’s cradle room. Let us have to submit ‘pundipanav parake’ the spread of Bermana alva offered before to Alade about Kumara’s wellness. lets go ahead”
After she goes to Basrur, the palace of husband, she questions Kanthu poonja about his injustice and asks the reason for absence at Bermana alva’s funeral. Also she enrages and divorce him by telling that she doesn’t need such a wretched husband. Kanthu poonja replies that if he would accept the divorce she gave, she should cross mapukala river before night turns to morning. And he ordered the boatman karia to never run the ferry for Akkerasu. Siri, the divine woman coming near to the river, moves back and gives way to siri. The ferryman distracts by seeing this magical woman.
After Akkerasu Siri with Daru and Kumara comes to Udyavara and stays one night in Kanchimadevi’s house. At that night Baira the son of Kanchimadevi trying to rape Siri, Siri curses at him that he turned become a stone(stoned Baira realised his wrong and begg excuses, he become divine semigalla panjurli and get worshipping at alade). After crossing Udyavara river, Akkerasu Siri comes to Bola through the way of Shirva, Manchakal, Belman, kodanthur.
Here Akkerasu appends a cradle to a broad banyan tree at the abbanadka padavu of the Bola. And swinging the cradle with singing gilirama santhi(folksong), at the same time the brave twin Kings of Bola titled Bola bari Kshathriy buntaras named karia Desinga and bolia kasinga were comes out from Bola Palace for hunts to keddasa. They noticed the impressive music and searched for Siri to compete like each other. When they came to Siri, she received them as brothers.
The Bolabari Kshatriyabunt Kings listened to her tragic story and offered her to come to their Palace. Siri replies ” I can’t come, if you suddenly call like this. I can come, if you bring me with all esteems and accept like Sister in front of people” As Akkerasu Siri says, the Kumara cries continuously with the persistence(“I will not grow up in someone else’s Palace” this is the inward intention of Kumara). Akkerasu Siri understands the sensitivity of brood and she pitied divinity to him so Kumara enters bollyottu alade as daiva(the spiritual power/god) and says “Mother come to join soon, I keep space for you at my right side”. His occurrence mentioned in the Siri paddana is as follows,
‘Abbanadkada golidamarattaditt maya ayina Akkerasu Siri mage kumare koti punje bollyottu aladed bolli bogorida maratha muddled sahasra boliya punje aadh kelethege’
This was how Kumara gets divinity/turns as a daiva in paddana.
Soon maid servant Daru expressed her self esteem by saying “I was for service to Kumara, he will no more be here, what will I do now after, make me disappear? It’s better than doing service for someone else in the palace of bola”. Akkerasu Siri gives divinity to Daru also with a boon saying “you will stay as daiva named Jaala Baikardi/Jaala Korathi”. This daiva getting worships by whole tulunadu yet, this line of paddana in Tulu as follows,
‘Siri panpalge, Daaru, ee yenna beritt batthdh, banga gethondu, begar seentudh ittina nenapugoskara, maya malthdh, daiva roopod banjina ponnulen, tanetta pettalen, Parada peradelen, jalda dinjina sirituppen kathondu; tenkayi rajyodu jala korathi panpuna pudard anchene badakayi rajyodu jala baikardi panpina abhidhanod merela; janakulu nikk aregala-mariyala barne korpileka avadu pandh aa bermerda nattonuve’ saying like that Siri pitied divinity to Daru.
Afterwards Siri comes to Bola Palace. Here Siri steps to another social revolution that she starts a second marriage (this was new for Tuluvas) by getting married secondary with a groom who even married already named Kotradiguttu Kodsar Alva. He had married Samu the sister of Bhamakille of Angarajalu barke already, Although samu opposed the Siri’s marriage at beginning, eventually the marriage took place with negotiations of Samu’s brother Bhamakille. Akkerasu Siri gets pregnant by Krotradiguttu Kodsar Alva, Samu’s brother Bhamukille arranges a baby shower ceremony for the pregnant Siri at his house Angarajaal Barke.
One day when Siri was washing clothes at Sanne named gutter, she gave birth to a baby girl, handed the baby to Samu and told her to name the baby as Sonne and hand it over to Kanabettu Chandu Pergade’s home. She also said that Samu also attains divinity by acts as leg slip and falls down on threshold of Kotradiguttu, after that both of them would meet at Kalladi nagabana invisibly soon.
By regret of Siri’s absence soon Samu handovers baby Sonne to Kanabettu Chandu Pergade’s home. Afterwards as of Siri’s words Samu quit the corpus and joined in maya(divinity). ( Three Siris and Kumara in the saptha siris joined alade in divinity yet)
It continues as another part, the story of Sonne (the daughter of Akkerasu siri). Baby Sonne Siri growing up in the Chandu Pergade’s home, Chandu Pergade found a Brahmin baby girl inside a tiger cave in a forest, He fosterege her with baby Sonne and named her Ginde. They both grew up playing together.
Sonne gets old but does not mature, so Chandu Pergade tells a spread to Bermer that if Sonne matured he would build a temple for Berma at majalottu. By Adideva Berma’s blessing, Sonne matured. Chandu Pergade makes Sonne’s weddings with Gurumarla of urkidottu of nandalike.
With the blessings of Bermer, Sonne gets twin daughters named after Abbaga and Darage. They grow up and soon Sonne and Gurumarla go out to find grooms for them. While Bermer comes before the Sonne couples as a Brahmin and remembers about the benison they offered to have children. But they neglect that. Therefore UriBerma got angry and went to Urkidottu house where the children were. Saw the both sisters Abbaga and Darage playing at foreground, Berma comes there in the guise of Brahmin and provokes children to play the Chennemane, in that play younger Darage defeats elder Abbaga and craved at elder sister.l, by this they got wrath it turns to fight, they holds crest each other and fights. Abbaga hits the younger Daraga’s head with Chennemane(a wooden board), and Darage dies.
Abbaga Scared, put Daraga’s dead body into the well and also she jumped into a water well, by adiberma’s benison the both twin souls turns to diamond Beetles and joins the group of Siri’s and gets great power.
Here Sonne and Gurumarla return back to home and see the dead bodies of Abbaga and Darage into the well floating like Poombale (the encapsulation of areca flower-Pingara). They realized the Bermer only reasons for all of these. Afterwards Sonne and Ginde also join the group of Siri with divinity.
These seven Siri’s( Akkerasu Siri, sonne, Ginde, Daru, Abbaga, Darage) and Kumara get worship at Alade annually.
Let us see a few lines of Siri Sandhi.
The below lines represent the birth of Siri from a stone box.
(Line 1710-1719)
- kalla kalembiḍ bālè bulippīna sorō kēnuṇdō
- nāraayina ō naaraayina ō najjeeregee
- Pārond voodond najjērè pōveræ
kalla kalembidaa baakil depperè najjēræ - kayi pād’du tūnaga ō bangāruda narivanoduu
- najjērego ō gandōda guligeduụ
kunkkumōda pareludō bāle - pingārodō nāna
- ponnu bālē nana ō tōjundo ō najjērē kannugụ
- pattapānē najjeruụ nāva bālēnụ nana ō nadda ō tarukkondere
- dettōnudụ ō baruppēre najjēru
English translation:
- from the stone coffer a child’s crying voice is heard by Ajjer,
- Naraayina õ Naaraayina ō, by Ajjeru.
- Running, fleeing Ajjeru goes.
Ajjer opens the lid of the stone coffer. - Putting in his hand Ajjeru sees on the golden plate
- in the sandal pill,
- in the grain of kunkuma, in the areca-flower bud, now,
- A girl child now is visible to Ajjeru’s eyes.
- Look! Suddenly Ajjeru now held that child in his arms,
- Carrying Ajjeru comes,
Reference and Media
- Image courtesy: Shashikanth Shetty, Instagram: @shettyshashi91
- THE SIRI EPIC as performed by Gopala Naika BY LAURI HONKO IN COLLABORATION WITH CHINNAPPA GOWDA, ANNELI HONKO AND VIVEKA RAI, Part-I