The night was eerie and the eclipse was just three days away. The screams had escalated. The entire village was awake maintaining still silence. The fear of the dark creeped into every house. Mallamma was the oldest living Devadasi in the Jwaala ghat. She had seen life to its fullest and had been waiting for death to dawn. She had already lived for hundred years and had even lost count of the rest of the years. Time had passed.
Folding the beetle leaf between her two fingers, she placed it carefully inside her left jaw. As she started chewing, she sang, “The bungalow was the sign of prosperity. All the festivities in the village started in the front yard of the palatial house. The headman of Kambala was wealthy and always cared for his dear villagers. Famine was always at bay. People loved him back dearly and never let any harm befall on him. The headman was childless, and the fact that his consort Leeladevi could not bear him a child never came in his way of treating her badly. They loved each other and carried out service for the betterment of the village”
“Stop your grave song, you old woman”, screamed the daughter in law. “You always praise that wretched house which has now become our lawn of death.”
Mallamma was a Devadasi, she belonged to the community of temple dancers who dedicated their life in serving the local deity. With the advent of British rule, the system of Devadasi had become flesh trade. Many small towns were forced to stop the practise of Devadasi system in the country. However a few still functioned due to dire poverty, and superstitious belief of pleasing Goddess Yellamma. She was fondly addressed as Goddess of Fertility. The belief that followed was getting young girls married to the deity in a huge ceremony and once they attained puberty, they were forced to satisfy the needs of any man who became their highest bidder. “The price for virginity” was a huge deal and the highest bidder even sponsored the marriage with the deity. The little virgin girl would be dropped at the door step of this cruel buyer by parents themselves.
The howling foxes and the cry of the dogs had brought panic into her heart. She knew the village would soon be wiped off. Mallamma sobbed in silence praying for the Matsya Narayana diety to be found and restored. Even if the deity was found, the men folk didn’t dare to enter the haunted bungalow. The soul of Tara would not let any man enter the premises of the bungalow.
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His lip was chattering in fear. He looked towards the bungalow, gave it a quick glance and turned away. Ramappa lit his cigar, and sat there shivering. The orphan Ramappa was kept out of the village premises for rape conviction. He was allowed to stay in the village limits only if he guarded the bungalow which no one ever dared to go close to. The stone bench outside the bungalow was the safest spot. No one dared to enter beyond the gate because they never made it out alive.
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The lunar eclipse was only two days away and had already claimed lives of cattle and three adolescent girls had gone missing. The villagers believed that the woman deity Yellamma was displeased as they had stopped the ritual of offering young girls into the Devadasi system.
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River Shreni flowed only a small distance on the Jwaala ghat before joining Dananjayee. Her clear waters had the magical power of curing many skin ailments. She was the natural habitat for many birds that visited her every year. The villagers believed that Shreni was a celestial damsel and was blessed with mystical healing powers from heaven.
As she stood on the banks of the river Shreni, the clear waters of Jwaala ghat touched her fair feet. Shuddhi bent down looking at her reflection into the clear water. She was an orphan adopted by a staunch police officer. She was a package of boldness, wisdom, hardship, intelligence and courage. After she finished her administrative services training in Delhi, she was posted to the Jwaala Ghat to curtail the prevailing Devadasi practise. She knew the outcomes and difficulties she might have to face from the local folk, but she feared less and had brought a huge revolution to the women folk. The case of the three missing girls had brought a huge down fall on her. The entire village had turned against her for stopping the Devadasi ritual. She had vowed to find them before the eclipse and with the lunar eclipse only three days away, she realised she had been defeated by the filthy men folk.
“Madam oho madam, lunch is ready”, screamed Gowri, as she saw Shuddhi standing on the shores of Shreni. Gowri had just attained puberty when Shuddhi started her administration in the district. She was married to the Goddess Yellamma in a prosperous ceremony by her buyer. Her excitement of being the bride knew no bounds. She had adorned a pure white saree with dark red. Her eyes were highlighted with dark kohl and on her forehead was red paste, a ritual performed in offering her to the goddess of fertility. White and red beads were knotted around her neck, which signified the holy thread of marriage. The little girl was now the temple’s property. She didn’t know what was awaiting for her that night. She was pacified by her parents and taken to the rich man’s house. Shuddhi had heard the screams of the young girl and had rescued Gowri who was traumatised and unconscious.
Thereafter she put a complete stop on the prevailing system and men folk activity in the village. She arrested those who encouraged the system to persist. Poverty seemed to dance on all the families due to unemployment. The men folk had to look for alternative jobs to keep the families surviving.
“Gowri, I have just two days to bring the girls back and put an end to the superstitions in the village, how can I even be hungry”, retorted Shuddhi. They decided to see Mallamma who could help solve the mystery. The old lady lived in the Jaaji bheedhi, the oldest street in the Jwaala ghat. The residents had moved out of the old street as it was close to the haunted bungalow and the screams of Tara were heard often. Even after continuous advice of her widowed daughter-in-law, she never left the house since she had good memories attached to her thatched hut. She decided to live her last few days in the hut looking at the haunted bungalow which was once the symbol of prosperity.
As she saw Shuddhi and Gowri approaching her hut, Mallamma hit her cane on the ground and growled.
“Ajji, don’t worry it’s me Gowri, madam wants to ask you about the haunted bungalow.”
Mallamma cleared her throat and started, “The draught in the neighboring village forced the people to approach the headman to give them shelter. Everyone shifted with their cattle into the Kambala village. The village looked more festive than ever with so many people. They helped each other, worked together and slowly started to make a living.”
“One day the winds were harsh, the clouds were dark and full, dogs started crying, it seemed like the place was going to be doomed. The night dawned fast. A young couple were returning home from the field, a bad fear inside their heart and as they looked at each other, a huge lightning bolt struck them and they lay there, dead. The cry of the little baby woke up the neighbours. The restless neighbour got up yelling, when he opened the door, there lay two dead people”.
The old woman started coughing, Gowri picked up the pot of water and gave it to her. The old lady cleared her throat, held the beetle leaf in her hand and continued, “The whole village mourned their death, but no one wanted the orphaned baby girl. Leela Devi took pity and adopted the girl. Tara became the lucky charm of the bungalow. Soon Leela Devi was expecting her own baby.” They saw the daughter-in-law coming home after fetching water from the well, she muttered foul words at the old woman and walked inside. Mallamma hesitated to speak any further.
Their last hope was the temple priest, “Tara’s jealousy grew after the birth of the child. She always tried to hurt the baby girl. The headman arranged a huge feast on the child’s birthday, Tara began to slowly lose attention. She set the baby’s cot on fire, not realising that the entire room was on fire, finally the bungalow was on fire. Everyone inside the bungalow were burnt to ashes. She’s believed to live on waiting to seek revenge on the baby girl who she believes is still alive. Soon after this all the baby girls born after the incident started dying unnaturally. The culture of marrying off of girls to the goddess was one way to save the girl from her clutches. The stopping of the ritual must have alleviated the screams and the three missing girls might have already been preyed on by her.”
“The only solution is to excavate the Matsya Narayana out of Shreni and build a temple. The water that touched the feet of lord Vishnu could cleanse the unholy grounds. And with eclipse just two days away, if this wasn’t done the village would be wiped off”, the old woman Mallamma wept even harder.
Shuddhi never believed in paranormal, and not that she had various options left to choose on her platter. She decided to excavate the deity from Shreni. She called upon for a village meeting at the old banyan tree near the Yellamma temple. She had convinced Mallamma that she would bring the deity out, but needed her help to speak to the villagers.
The entire village assembled at the banyan tree. The women started cursing Shuddhi as she walked up. She took a deep breath and spoke, “I have only one solution left to save this village”.
The old man in the crowd laughed and said, “the only solution is if you leave this village alone and go away”.
She hushed the crowd and said, “as Mallamma says, the Matsya Narayana has to be excavated and the holy water has to be sprinkled on the bungalow yard before the eclipse ends.” There was strong chattering in the crowd. The old man started hurling curseful words at her. Mallamma rose in fury, and threw her cane at the old man. She looked at Shuddhi and said, “Come let’s go, I will help you with all my might to excavate the deity.”
As they began to leave, Satya prompted, Madam, “I am coming with you, if you think we have a last chance to save our tribe I’ll do my part of it”. The other young boys joined Shuddhi. They began walking away from the crowd, when the old man said, “Wait, when you care so much about us, then we will join you too”. The entire village walked towards Shreni. The exploration of Matsya Narayana began.
The winds were harsh, swirling the sand into their eyes, they wiped and continued. Shuddhi arranged for lunch and savories, even helped feeding children, while their mothers worked excavating for the deity. Hours passed and there was no sign of it. The villagers began to give up. There was a graveyard silence, the tired crowd sat on the shore and lamented. Shuddhi bore her fear to herself. Mallamma wept softly. There was no other way but to either sacrifice their lives to Tara or leave the village once and for all.
The entire village was grief struck. They sat sleepless. Mallamma’s daughter-in-law, for the first time, confronted her, “Amma, don’t worry, if we live, we live together or we perish together, your bravery is limitless, believe in God, he will save us”. Shuddhi sat at the shore of Shreni, teary eye. Gowri was fast asleep on her lap. Satya sat in silence. As the winds got rougher, they saw a blurry image of a man dressed in white silken robes and heavy jewellery approach them. He had curly locks and looked godly. As she saw him, he said “The tip of the Jwaala ghat is where your priced possession is, go soon before the village fades”. Shuddhi woke up the sleepy Gowri and ran towards the tip of Jwaala ghat. They started clearing off the bushes.
Satya came back screaming. He was panting for breath, unable to speak. The old man asked him where Shuddhi was. He pulled him and started running back towards the tip of Jwaala ghat without saying a word. The entire village started following him.
There stood Shuddhi beside the Matsya Narayana. The ten feet lord adorned the first avatar to save mankind. Here he came down to save the Jwaala Ghat. The entire village rejoiced in happiness, the women wept unable to bear the joy. Mallamma breathed a sigh of relief, and hugged Shuddhi.
The dawn woke up to the eclipse. The entire village gathered near the bungalow. The deity was placed a little away from the gate. The priest hurled chants in praise of the lord. The boys fetched water in huge vessels to cleanse the deity. An ugly scream filled the air. The villagers fret, the priest continued his chants. The entire village prayed. The growl got heavier. Mallamma sat down in fear and started chanting. The wind became harsh creating a whirlpool effect. There was putrid foul smell emanating from the bungalow. No one could bear the nausea it led to. Mallamma asked the priest to continue his chants.
The gate screeched, one of the missing girls walked out, the entire village was in shock looking at her. She smiled one last time and bled to death. The villagers stood in shocked silence, watching her death. They ran in fear not wanting to see another death. The entire place was deserted. Fear crept into every one’s heart. The evil began to triumph. Mallamma dropped to her knees and began weeping loudly.
Gowri landed on the ground unconscious. Shuddhi cried for help, she was out of options, and started pouring the water in the vessels on the deity. She couldn’t reach the height. The putrid odour increased, she knelt down weeping. She prayed harder than ever for a miracle. As she wiped the drop of water on her cheek, she realized it wasn’t her tear, she looked up, the cloud began to swell up and there was a downpour. The deity was cleansed and the water started flooding and flowed directly from it towards the bungalow. Awkward screams filled with misery and pain were heard. The bungalow collapsed, the remains were scattered on to the land. The atmosphere was filled with sudden eerie silence.
The rain stopped. The odour was gone, the winds had calmed down. The deity had saved the land. The entire village assembled, the fear was gone, and there was peace everywhere. The three girls walked out of the bungalow seemingly unharmed. There was no sign of the body of the missing girl, they realised that it was the illusion created by the demoniac entity. Mallamma walked into the ruins and called out to Shuddhi. She held out a torn portrait and said, “You might want to know who guided you to the deity”, and as she saw the portrait with sharp eyes, Mallamma muttered, “The headman of Kambala”.
