The white festival by the Badagas - festival of Hetthai Amman

In the Nilgiris hill, there lived an indigenous social group called Badagas. They were large in number and they prayed to their ancestress Goddess Hetthai Amman. They celebrate a festival called Hebba, a festival in celebrating Hetthai Amman. The Badaga community people gathered in their traditional white dress and celebrated the festival with fasting, offerings and dancing. This festival is always celebrated on the first Monday after Pournami(Full moon day)

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Ooty reminds everyone of Nilgiris, Weather, Tea, Homemade Chocolates, and so on. But have you ever wondered who are the people in the lands of Nilgiris living permanently in such a tourist spot? These places were occupied by many indigenous communities massively. One such famous tribal and indigenous community is Badagas, leading and thriving in the hills of Nilgiris, a tribal land, occupying around 303 villages, known as Hattis.

The deity of Badaga is Hetthai whose history was found in Tamil literature written by Mr.N.N.Pokka, under the title Sri Hetthaiammal sarithiram**,** which means the History of the Goddess Hetthai. They speak the Badaga language, the language of their community, which is closely resembled Kannada. It is interesting to note that a Goddess is the head of an entire community.

Hetthai Amman festival, Hetthai Habba is not celebrated on any fixed day every year. It is celebrated on the auspicious day of the Badagas, that is Monday, which comes first after the Full moon of the Tamil month Margazhi. During the festival, the male wore their traditional dress of white turban, Mundu, Mandarae, and Badagaru Seele along with their family stick Dhadi and goes to the temple on foot. A tradition called Kanikai which means offerings will be collected equally of twenty paise from every house and it would be tied in a white cloth and handed over to the Hethai Amman temple at Berangani.

The stick that is carried during the procession is considered to be very sacred and so it is always to be kept in Hagottu, a sacred corner which is located in the Kitchen. It is placed inside a bamboo which is of as same as the length of the Dhadi. This Dhadi will be taken out once in a year for the festival and it would be cleaned with tamarind and salt. In this Hagottu, men are only allowed where their dairy products are stored. Ladies are not allowed inside the Hagottu during their periods. The churning of milk would be done inside this area by using Matthu a stick that is firmly connected to a pole, attached to the ground. As the Hagottu is considered sacred, every Monday the Hagottu is smeared with cow dung with water.

The procession starts to Hetthai Mane with the Badaga Athikkodu “Ye Ha Ho” will be chanted loudly. Women would spread white sheets on the path they go and they bless those people who did not participate in the procession, who gave them a warm and respectful welcome. They follow a strict code of not consuming alcohol, smoking, and non-veg during the proceeding. It is mandatory for every Baduga to visit at least once the Hetthai Ammann temple either at Beragani or at Peduvva. In the end, everyone will be served Annadhana, free food from the temple. Throughout the year, only at the time of the Hetthai Amman festival, the Goddess Hetthai Amman will be shown to the public for a few seconds. Hence it is a very important and special festival for all the people of Badagas.