Holy Rollers

Nallur Kovil Festival began this month.  This Hindu celebration lasts for about one month and is filled with all sorts of festivities and events.  So, we decided to check out the morning events.  Unfortunately, the morning events begin at 4:30 am. So on Friday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed, camera in hand, and drove to the Nallur Kovil on the motorbike. The air was warm and fresh and immediately, we felt rewarded for being so disciplined.

On Temple road, we were greeted by lights, music and swarms of people going to and from the temple. Mothers and children, families and men all moving toward the temple to pray, meditate, and roll.

Yes, roll.  The events we saw on Friday gave a new meaning to Holy Rollers and made us realize that this must be the origin of the expression.  Men rolled in the sand moving around the entire temple grounds.  Bare chested with sarongs knotted at the knees to keep from revealing anything private they rolled and rolled, sweating and chanting as they circled the large temple and grounds. "Ah ro ga da, ah ro ga da", was the constant chant.  It was an amazing and powerful sight. It left us emotional to see such religious devotion and fervor based on such strong beliefs.

Women's form of devotion was different, but equally exhausting.  They also moved around the entire temple grounds, but in their form of devotion, they take two steps, then kneel and fully bow.  Then they get up and repeat this until they have made a full round. We could not determine how many rounds the rollers or the kneelers made, but for many, it appeared numerous.  On the final round, the men were given a coconut by a support person to carry as they rolled into the temple,  kissing a brass plate at the door as they crossed the threshold. As they left the temple, they smashed the coconut by throwing it violently to the ground.

Inside the temple, people milled around, had their breakfast, meditated, worshipped in front of the many gods present and lit incense.  Security was provided by Sinhala police men, who in deference to temple rules, had removed their shirts. Yum.

All of it was both very strange and very wonderful.

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