The Strings of Chowdike

This folk instrument is around 2,500 years old, and now Chowdike exists just in the outskirts of Belagavi district in Karnataka. Owing to its social stigmatisation for being inherent to devadasis and jogathis, the twin set of folk musical instruments is in danger of taking its last breath. Like a few rare souls who are trying to, can we revive the music in our words today?

The twin set of Chowdike and Stuti. |  Source: Sahapedia

Chowdike is a single-stringed musical instrument associated with the cult deity Saundatti Yellamma and the disciples are the devadasi and jogathi clans. The custom of girls being married off to the deity of a particular temple as an offering or piety has led to the victimisation of these girls. Not only is their progeny marginalised, but the art forms associated with the modes of worship of these devadasis have also become victims of bigotry.

On the other hand, the jogathis and jogappas or transgender individuals are victims of the same bigot untouchability. These jogathis, jogappas, and devadasis who are the disciples of Yellamma are part of the heritage stringed to the musical folklore tuned to the chowdike. Chowdike was originally made out of the bark of a tree, while it is lined with the skin of a calf and string is made of the gut of a goat.

Though now they are machine-made, the most original can be found with Radha Bai, who is among the very few that are trying to save the chowdike and its folklore songs. Apart from Radha Bai, Manjamma and Shankarappa are the only ones who tried to keep this folk tradition from going extinct.

Radha Bai and her group playing the chowdike  |  Image source: kstdc.co

Chowdike is always played along with 'Stuti'. The origins of these twin sets of musical instruments lay in the folk tale of the Goddess Yellamma which defies the notions of gender binaries, patriarchy and marriage. As per the ancient tale, the goddess was originally a princess named Renuka.

The princess was married to a sage named Jamadagni, who sent her into exile accusing her falsely of adultery. Renuka then built a temple for Lord Shiva and spent her time in his devotion and in return wanted the boon of a child. After her relentless prayers, Lord Shiva granted her a son but warned her that the child will grow up to kill her.

She named the child Parashuram, who began demanding information about his father as he grew up. Helplessly, one day Renuka told him that Jamadagni was his father. When the boy went to Jamadagni, he put a condition that he will accept Parashuram as his son only if he kills his mother.

As fate would have it, Parashuram came back and severed the head of his mother. But each time he cut her head, a new one would grow back. This was the boon of immortality granted by Lord Shiva. Eventually, through some trick, he managed to kill her but also repented for his deed. Due to guilt, he demanded that Jamadagni resurrect his mother.

So, Renuka came alive from the dead, not as Renuka but as Yellamma devi and instructed Parashuram to scatter her other severed heads to allow the incarnations of Yellamma to emerge for each head. She then left both father and son and returned to her birthplace Saundatti in the Belgaum district.

A view of the Yellamma Mela  |  Source: indienbilder.com

She took over the throne by ousting the ruler Karthiviraj and became the mother of the kingdom. When the wives of the late king came running to her for help as widows, she instructed them that they should stop depending on any man and instead make their mark in life. She then created the Chowdike and associated musical instruments out of the body of Karthiviraj. Yellamma patronised the widows by giving them those musical instruments. She asked them to use it whenever they feel the need for masculinity in life.

Till today the tale is narrated in the form of a night-long folk song at the Yellammaata Mela. The musical performance is done by the devadasis, jogathis, and jogappas. Fortunately, there is some hope for the reviving glory of this traditional musical art form, because of some projects like the one promoted by Shilpa Mudbi Kothakota. She has been trying to bring the dying art to mainstream music through her Urban Folk Project and promote the doyens who have not abandoned the heritage they were handed over with.