Madurai: Three women carrying plastic pots stopped about 25 metres away from the spring, as a few other men and women collected water from it and filled their vessels. "How long should we keep waiting? Fill our pots as well," shouted one of the three women. A man and a woman who collected water from the spring, brought their utensils to pour water in the pots brought by these three women.
"We don't collect water from the spring fearing the wrath of the deity," the dalit woman and her two companions including a teenager and a child told TOI. As these women left, another set of women from Indira Nagar Dalit colony in Kodikulam village came there and waited for somebody to help them.
Not only dalits, but menstruating women, people who had consumed alcohol and did not have a bath are considered to be unclean. Under such circumstances they don't go near the spring over their fear of inviting the 'wrath of the deity'.
Villagers said Kodikulam has nearly 220 families and among them around 150 are from the backward communities (BC) such as kallar, nadar, konar and asari. Dalits from the parayar community account for the remaining one third of the households in the village.
"But for collecting water from the spring there is no discrimination among the communities," said a woman from one of the BC communities. She said that people from all these communities live together, go to each other's houses and work together. "The reason for dalits staying away from the spring is not known to us and them as well. We have been used to giving them water we collect from the spring," she said.
Sanctity of the well and wild honey bees swarming near the spring are used as a cover to prevent dalits from taking water from the spring. Interestingly, it is not only the dalits but also 'unclean' people from the backward communities who cannot also get closer to the spring. You have to remove your shoes before going near the spring. It is not only because the spring should be kept clean - as it is close to the temple - but not to disturb the wild bees with hives near the spring, he said.
Thousands of jumbo bees are seen buzzing around the well and quenching the thirst from water spilt by the villagers. They don't disturb people unless they are disturbed by humans and they are the front line of defence for the spring from intruders. Villagers said the bees are disturbed if someone has flowers or uses fragrance or wear footwear as well. These bees swarm around the spring from mid-February to mid-June.
But superstitions that dalits and unclean people from other communities, will be stung by the 'poisonous' bees is still at work to keep them away from the spring.
Dalits not allowed to the spring has been reported by newspapers including TOI way back in 2011, but still they are unable to access the spring till date.
Source: Times of India
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