Breaking tradition, Muslim vendors barred from Shivamogga temple fair
Barely a week after the Karnataka High Court’s hijab verdict, a biannual temple fair known for its syncretic traditions in the state’s Shivamogga city is in the news. There are reports that Muslim vendors have not been allowed to set up stalls during the festival following pressure from right wing groups.
The development apparently comes in the backdrop of the recent communal tension in Shivamogga following the murder of a Hindutva activist in the city last month.
The Kote Marikamba Jatre is celebrated every two years in the city, drawing people from various communities and from the hinterland. The fair is set to commence on Tuesday (March 22) and will go on for five days.
According to a report in The Hindu on March 20, the person who had won the tender for managing stalls at the fair had backed out when a few Hindutva activists objected to Muslim traders putting up stalls that they had been allotted.
Tender reallotted
Thereafter, the organising committee held a meeting with right wing groups and reallotted the tender, leaving them to decide the allocation of stalls, N Ravikumar, editor of a local newspaper, told The Federal. Thereby, Muslim vendors have not been allotted stalls, said Ravikumar, who is also a member of the Kote Marikamba Seva Samiti, a body of about 300 members associated with the temple.
The Marikamba Jatre is dedicated to a grama devate, or patron deity, and is the biggest event in Shivamogga, with people from neighbouring villages and towns participating. “People from other religions, including Muslims, make offerings to the deity,” Ravikumar said.
“The jatre (fair) has a long history and there has never been any discrimination on caste or religious lines. But this time it has happened and it is an unfortunate development,” he told The Federal.
No interference, says committee
According to reports, the festival’s organising committee has said that the decision on allocating stalls rests with the person who won the tender. “The jatra committee will not interfere in the decision of the tender-holder,” SK Mariyappa, president of the Samiti, was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express, during an interaction with reporters on Sunday.
Mariyappa said that several members of the Muslim community take part in different activities related to the fair and that no particular community was being kept out of the celebrations, according to the report.
The Kote Marikamba was originally scheduled to be held in February but it was postponed owing to COVID restrictions at the time.
In the meanwhile, Shivamogga city was gripped by communal tensions following the murder of a 23-year-old Bajrang Dal activist, Harsha, on February 21.
