When dignity rolls over the banana leaves of faith left by devotees after eating food

India is a land of multifarious rituals and offerings. No festival is complete without a ritual or offering to the god. Even though many such rituals and offerings are being performed since a long time, some invite trouble. In May, a devotee of the 17-18th century Tamil saint Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral filed a writ petition before the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, seeking an order directing the respondents to grant permission to conduct Annadanam (sacred offering of food) and Angapradakshinam (rolling over the banana leaves left by devotees after eating food) on the eve of Jeeva Samadhi Day (May 18) of the saint at Nerur in Karur.

Rolling over the banana leaves on which other devotees had partaken their food may sound odd, but petitioner Naveen Kumar claims that the ritual is more than 120 years old. Sadasiva Brahmendral’s Jeeva Samadhi Day is marked by the performance of Annadanam, Angapradakshinam and other rituals at the Sadasiva Brahmendral Adhishtanam in Nerur, a village 10 km from Karur.

In his petition, Naveen Kumar said he had taken a vow to perform the said religious service six months ago. He wanted to perform Angapradakshinam on May 18. When he wrote to the Arulmigu Sadasiva Brahmendral Adhishtanam seeking permission to do so since the performance of the ritual was stopped in 2015, he didn’t get a response. After hearing both the sides, the High Court allowed the writ petition saying preventing the devotees of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral from engaging in similar acts of devotion would be a gross violation of the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India. “The petitioner can very well exercise his fundamental right of performing Angapradakshinam on the banana leaves after the guests have partaken the meals. No authority let alone the respondents can interfere with the same,” said Justice GR Swaminathan in his judgement pronounced on May 17, 2024.

Part III of the Constitution of India talks about one’s fundamental rights. Article 25(1) of the Constitution declares that all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess and practise religion. However, this right is not absolute. It is subject to public order, morality and health and the other provisions of Part III. “The Samadhi of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral at Nerur is thronged by devotees throughout the year. It is an object of veneration. Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral was a Siddha purusha. He is believed to be a realised soul. He was an ‘avadhoota’ ie., one who did not wear clothes (if I may borrow from the title of Arundhathi Subramaniam's book, he wore only himself). On the Jeeva Samadhi Day, there was the customary practice of doing Angapradakshinam on the banana leaves on which the devotees had partaken food. It is the genuine belief of the devotees that such an act would confer on them spiritual benefit,” said the bench.

The question that arises in this case is whether a devotee can do Angapradakshinam on banana leaves after the devotees had eaten. “It is a fact that such Angapradakshinam is done by Ayyappa devotees. If it is done on the banks of river Pamba, it is called Pamba Sadhi. Therefore, preventing the devotees of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral from engaging in similar acts of devotion would be a gross violation of the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India,” it said.

Although the devotees were able to perform both Annadanam and Angapradakshinam in the light of the judgement, reintroduction of the ‘ritual’ at the samadhi of the saint invite wrath from a section of people who believes that rolling over a plantain leaf left by devotees after taking the meal is an unhygienic and derogatory practice. There are many old rituals and offerings being performed at various temples and religious centres in India, particularly Tamil Nadu. If you look at the history of human culture, we will know that such practices are part of a particular way of living that prevailed centuries or decades ago.

“Many necessarily don’t have any social or cultural relevance today. I don’t understand the logic behind this practice where one rolls over a banana leaf left behind by the devotees who eat the feast. It is against the egalitarian spiritual tradition of Tamil Nadu. We live in a civilised society. It’s high time people stopped such unhygienic practices,” said V Ranganathan, president of the Tamil Nadu Association for Trained Archakas. L Harikumar, a devotee, said such rituals are being performed by people to shatter their egos. “It’s an age-old practice. Nobody is compelled to perform the ritual here. If you are interested, you can do it,” he said.

What is the relevance of the saint who lived in the 17-18th century today? Literary historians say Sadasiva Brahmendral never uttered a word or wore a cloth. The shrine of Sadasiva at Nerur, erected by Vijaya Ragunatha Thondaiman, the king of Pudukkottai, is a pilgrimage centre, which according to believers, witnesses innumerable divine healings. Many quaint stories of Sadasiva are still current among the South Indian villagers, according to veteran yoga guru Paramahansa Yogananda.

“The village children once expressed a desire in Sadasiva’s presence to see the Madura religious festival, 150 miles away. The yogi indicated to the little ones that they should touch his body. Lo! instantly the whole group was transported to Madura. The children wandered happily among the thousands of pilgrims. In a few hours the yogi brought his small charges home by his simple mode of transportation. The astonished parents heard the vivid tales of the procession of images, and noted that several children were carrying bags of Madura sweets,” writes Paramahansa Yogananda in his famous book, “Autobiography of a Yogi.”

Sadasiva Brahmendral was also a composer of several bhajans and songs. He has lived not only as a true Yogi embodying the highest possibilities of Yoga, but he has left behind a treasure house of Yogic insights in his writings. “It can be observed in recent history that great personalities in the 19th and 20th century like the Acharyas of Sringeri Pitha have been inspired by his life and have taken him as their role model. Thus, though Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral lived more than three hundred years ago, he still guides, inspires and shines as a beacon light of Yoga leading to the highest wellbeing of humanity,” says Jayaraman Mahadevan in a research paper titled “The Essence of Yoga: In the Light of Life and Sanskrit works of Yogi Sri Sadāśiva Brahmendra,” published in the International Journal of Sanskrit Research “Anantaa.”

Opinions differ when it comes to a system of belief. In 2015, a writ of mandamus was filed at the High Court to direct the respondents to protect ‘right to dignified life’ by stopping the inhuman practise of rolling over on used plantain leaves left by Brahmins, after their meals. It was submitted that Nerur Sadasiva Brahmendral Temple, managed by Nerur Sathguru Sadasiva Brammediral Seva Trust, was celebrating its 101st annual function. According to the petitioner, one of the events in the festival is that after the Brahmins take their meal, on the left over plantain leaves, members belonging to Dalit community and non-Brahmins should roll over.

The petitioner said the event amounts to race and caste discrimination. The respondent, however, contended that “Angapradakshinam” on the leftover banana leaves is performed by the devotees on their own volition irrespective of community or caste. In this juncture, the High Court observed that ‘such religious practice or custom should be in consonance with Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

“Even if there is any slight infringement to the said rights, the court owes a duty to enforce the constitutional values and the same should not be allowed to continue. In the light of the above discussion and having regard to the decision of the Hon'ble Apex Court in State of Karnataka and others Vs. Adivasi Budakattu Hitarakshana Vedike Karnataka and others in Special Leave Petition (C)No.33137 of 2014, we hereby direct the respondents not to allow anyone to roll over on the plantain leaves left, after the meal is taken,” said the judgement pronounced in 2015. It was to challenge this order and a subsequent government order that Naveen Kumar approached the High Court in 2024 and secured an order in favour of him to perform Angapradakshinam on May 18, the Jeeva Samadhi Day of the saint at the Arulmigu Sadasiva Brahmendra Adhishtanam in Narur.

V Ranganathan said he would file an appeal against the High Court order permitting the petitioner to perform Angapradakshinam. “No human being can be allowed to be degraded, by following any practice or custom in the name of religion, which may infringe Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. Right to live, with dignity, is the paramount object of the Constitution. The Supreme court in the case of Pt. Parmanand Katara vs Union Of India & Ors held that the right to dignity is available even to a dead person. We will file an appeal against the High Court order soon,” he said.

Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, according to S Vanchinathan, imposes the duty of maintaining public health on the state. “In the present case, the practice of rolling over the plantain leaves left by the devotees after the Annadanam holds a high risk of them being exposed to various types of diseases and infections. This practice endangers public health with high chances of the spread of various communicable diseases. Hence it is the duty of the State to curb this dangerous practice and maintain public health,” said Vanchinathan, an advocate based in Madurai.