the Film Guide

trILM Grl
Dr
a'tl
Heat:
Deanng"the
L)
Moth er Godd-uu Devotfon
in South ln diu
?aft o{ th.South Asian Docum entary trilm Series,
Presented by the L)niversity a{ Wisconsin-Mudiron
Cente , {or South Asia
rILM GUIDr
ETATNGTHL HEAT:
MOTH TR GODDESS DTVOTION
INSOUTH INDIA
Guide
Preparation:
in:
Film Guide:
Running time;
Producer.
Camera and editing;
Field Assistant$:
Filmed
Inquiries:
Kristin Oldham
1993-1994
1997
60 minutes
Kristin Oldham
Kristin Oldham
Saradhamanidevi Boopaihi and Jemima
Chrisanthi
Center for South Asia, Univ. of Wl-Madison
203 Ingraham Hall" I 155 Observatory Dr.
Madison WI 53706 USA
Tel.: (608) 262-4884; FAX: (608) 26s-3062
E-mail : sasianctr@macc.wisc. edu
WWW: http://www.wisc.edu/sou.thasia/
SYNOPSIS
This documentary was filmed in
Tamilnadu, the southern most eastern state of
India, during the 1993-1994 academic year. It
was made for a junior year abroad project. It
offers a cross-section ofdevotional practices
at temples and festivals celebrating the Mother
Goddess. Festivals are shown frombothurban
Madurai and surrounding villages. We see
devotees carry fire pots for the Goddess
Mariamman; piercing their bodies at a full
moon festival
for
is said to have been tire first one to bear the
fire pot. Fire an<i heat are conceived as akin to
human suffering. By offlering one's suffering
to the Goddess, she is thought to paci$z the
devotee's "hear' and offer cooling peace and
tranquillity in return. Symbolically, Bearing
the Heat refers to the goal of maintenance, in
which a devotee engages in vows and daily
rituals to maintain the well-being of his or her
network of relations.
SUGGESTED USE
Goddess
Veeramakaliamman; and attending a midnight
puja in the cremation grounds for Goddess
Angalaparmesveri. Devotees, priests, and
others describe the content of the rituals and
community life in India. The film explores the
relationships between fertility and Goddess
worship, such as the performance of the
kummi dance, a folk dance done during spring,
in which the dancers circle a neem plant. The
film introduces basic concepts of devotion;
including puja, darshan, prasad and vibhuti.
Devotees make vows to perform austerities or
daily rituals for such things as an appropriate
marriage partner for their children, health for
a friend, or passing grades on an upcoming
exam. The viewer is taken through a journey
of the variety of
expressions of Goddess
devotion, including possession, exorcism,
dsrshan (sight or meeting with the divine) of
an avatat, and the devotional dance form
Bharata Natyam. As the title suggests, the
ritual use of fire is a common thread woven
throughout the film.
Bearing the Heat,literally refers to the
carrying of fire pots. A devotee carries a clay
pot full ofburningwood and camphorfrom his
or her home to the temple of the Goddess on
the day of a festival. The fire pot is carried in
exchange for a vow- The Goddess Mariamman
Cultural Anthropology
Religions of India
Hindu Studies
Women and Religion
Sociology of Religion
South Asian Studies
Comparative Religion
Shamanism
Goddesses of India
World Religions
History of Religion
INFORMATIONAL FOOTNOTES ON
THE FILM (Note. The questions are
arranged in the
order in which the film presents the relevant
material)
1. What is the hand gesture that the
woman is making? (Holding her finger and
forefinger together with the middle finger,
ring finger and pinkie extended.)
This is called a mudra (symbolic energy
generating gesture). The circle made by the
thumb and forefinger represents the union
between the individual soul {jivatman) and
God or liberation (moksha\. This union
excludes the other three fingers, which
represent the defilements of illusion, egotism,
and ignorance.
2. What is the fire made of in the firepot
with which the woman dances?
The fire is made of buming wood on top of
charcoal made from more wood. Ghee
(clarified butter) is poured periodically on the
flames to keep them going.
3. Are most Hindus cremated?
Yes. Hindus are generally cremated next to a
river so that the ashes can be put in the river
and the soul can travel onto the next life
through the process of transmigration. Hindu
saints are buried as it is believed that their
souls are already liberated so they won't be
trapped in the material body after death. A
saint's body is thought to sanctifu the ground
in which it is buried and often becomes a site
of worship,
6. Why does the woman in a yellow sari
have hair down to the ground?
Matted hair is a sign of
sannyasin
(renunciation). The longer the devotee's hair
is generally corresponds to how long he or she
has been a renunciant.
7. Why do Hindu temples
often have red
painted
on the base of the
and white stripes
buildings?
The red symbolizes shakti (feminine energy)
and the white symbolizes Shiva (masculine
energy). It is believed that both the male and
female energy are needed for balance and
harmony within the temple.
8, Are floods common in South India?
Every year during the monsoon
season
(roughly October to November in south India)
floods are conrmon due to heavy rains and
4. What does the word "puja'mean?
Puja is a Tamil word, literally meaning to offer
flowers. It is used to refer to ritual offerings
and prayers, which may include the offering of
lamps, fruits, flowers, money, etc.
In
5. What is on the offering plate set in front
of the priest dressed like Goddess Kali?
And what do the items represent?
9. What are the yellow and red powders
Bananas, coconut and flowers. Every part
of
the banana tree is useful to humanity; the
leaves as plates, the fruits to eat, and the stem
to make rope. In the same way it is thought
that devotees should strive to make every
aspect of themselvesuseful to God. The three
eyes ofthe coconut are thought to correspond
to our two eyes and the third eye between the
eyebrows which is the point of spiritual vision
and awakening. The coconut also looks like a
head and is thought to represent the complete
offering of one's self to the deity. Flowers are
prized for their sweet fragrance and beauty,
which are ephemeral yet indicative of divinity.
inadequate drainage in cities such as Madurai.
1993, when the film was shot, the rains
were especially heavy and the downtown area
was submerged under sometimes 4 feet of
water for over a week.
called that are used to decorate the deities?
The yellow is made from turmeric, which is a
toot. The red is kum kum, a combination of
turmeric and lime.
10. Why is the swami
woman
(Muthuirulayi) crying?
In the bhakti tradition tear-, are taken as a sign
of sincerity by the devotee. When one is
cryrri& one's mind is single pointed. The aim
of devotion is to concentrate completely on
the chosen form of God or Goddess and pour
one's heart out to that image. Crytng is also
seen as a cleansing, a type of purification.
11.
Why is there a tree in the middle of the
temple?
Hindu temples are often built around a tree.
The snake deities are believed to dwell in the
roots of trees. The snake deities are believed
to assist with matters of fertility. They are
propitiated with milk and eggs by devotees
wishing for children. Cloth cradles are also
hung from the trees by devotees wishing for
conception. Trees are also venerated for being
connected to ancestral deities.
12. Why does the woman in a yellow sari
dance with a plant in her hands?
She is preparing to carry a fire pot. She
carries neem leaves because they are cooling
and will neutralize the heat of the clay pot.
13. Why do the older women
praying
before the temple outside not wear blouses?
Until recently women in the villages did not
wear blouses with their saris. The influence of
the British (and the Western world)
has
changed this, and now the current generation
of girls all wear blouses. The festival which
they are attending (the seven virgins festival) is
held only once in 12years. All the women are
wearing fancy silk or imitation silk saris which
they may wear only on special occasions such
as a wedding or a festival.
14. What is the story of Madupuram Kali?
Why is this deity's statue stepping
forward?
was told two different stories about this
I
goddess temple. In one story Kali was Shiva's
wife. He had gone hunting and didn't return.
Kali was ernaged and set out to find him. Just
at that moment she froze and is now the
Madupuram Kali statue stepping forward with
one foot. In the other story Kali was one of
the seven sister Goddesses and had gotten lost
in the woods, and there she turned into stone.
15. What does the devotee mean when he
says "AIl are one, Jesus' mother and
Goddess KaIi are the same"? In south
India is there one Goddess or many, and
what is Her origin?
The devotee means that all forms of the
Mother Goddess are emanations from one
Mother Goddess. In India the ideas of a
singular Mother Goddess and a multitude of
distinct Goddesses specific to region and caste
coexist. The notion of one Great Goddess is
believed to have arisen out of the meeting
between the indigenous religions of India and
the Indo-Arayan Brahmanical tradition. This
syncretism occurred in South India around the
3rd and 4th centuries AD. The following myth
related byPupal Jayaker describes the meshing
of these two traditions forming contemporary
Goddess devotion.
In the myth there is a brahman sage
named Jamadagni. His wife's chastity comes
into question and, burning with rage,
he
demands his five sons to kill their mother. One
after anotherthe first four refuse. But the fifth
son agrees to fulfill his father's request. The
mother had taken refuge among women ofthe
outcaste community. The son kills his mother
by beheading her. But immediately he feels
great remorse. In gratitude the father gives his
fifth son a boon. The son asks to be given the
power to revive his mother. The father, whose
anger has now cooled
honors his son's
request. The son goes to put his mother's head
ofl
back onto her body, but in his confusion he
places her head on the body of an outcaste
woman. This composite female form,
half-brahman and half-outcaste, is said to have
become "the Grama Devata, the primordial
shakti ofthe south".
The story indicates the process of
assimilation, dissolution and reformulation that
has probably occurred in the encounter
between the indigenous cultures and north
Indian brahmanism. It is appropriate that the
head of the Goddess is brahman, as it is the
head that seems to hold the
importance on first glancg but without the
body it is lifeless and ungrounded, It is the
greatest
literal body of the indigenous traditions that
supports and provides the blood and
nourishment that allows the head to functionThus the indigenous and brahminical are wed
into a new being.
16. Why do Hindus put ash (vihhuti) an
their foreheads, and what is the ash made
A plate with burning camphor is waved in
a
clockwise direction aroundthemurti (image of
the deity). The clockwise direction opens or
awakens the energy of the deity. The light
also awakens and literally and symbolically
illuminates the Goddess (as the sanctum
sanctorium where the murti is kept is often
dark).
19. What is the story of Navaratri, the nine
night festival to the Goddess and the
slaying of the demon, Mahishasura, by
Goddess llurga?
from?
The ash is a reminder ofthe temporal nature of
life. Most Hindus will become ash (as Hindus
are cremated) after death; so wearing of ash is
a reminder to live life to the fullest in the
present and to remember God because we
never know when life will end. Vibltuti is
often made of burned cow dung, which is an
antiseptic and an antibacterial substance.
Occasionally very special vibhuti is made from
a cremated human body.
17. \ilhat is prasad?
Prasadis the offering that one receives from a
temple. When a devotee cemes to a temple,
stre or he usually brings some type of offering
such as a flower garland, fruits, or a few
rupees. In return the deity (through the
priests) gives the devotee back a portion ofthe
original offering or some other material used in
worship, such as milk that was used to bathe
the deity. Other times devotees make a vow to
prepare pongal (sweet grains) at the iemple
and serve it to the devotees as prasad. This
generosity will produce merit for the devotee,
and perhaps his or her desire (for a male child
or a cured relative, etc.) will be granted.
18. What is the significance of arali?
Arati is the first stage of an offering to a deity.
This is a festival that is celebrated throughout
India. Il is essentially the story ofthe "victory
of the Goddess." Faced with the horrific,
buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura and his
demon aflny, the Goddess assumes avariety of
forms and fights for righteousness on earth.
Each night of the nine night fesival she is
worshiped in a different incarnation such as
Lakshmi, Kali, Durga or Parvati. In this story
the Goddess represents the active, energizing
element of divinity. She is created in response
to the needs ofthe world to vanquish evil and
actively fight against unrighteousness. Most
renditions of the Navaratri story say that all of
the Gods failed to kill this demon. When the
Goddess was created they lent Hertheir most
powerful weapons and
powers.
In
contemporary times devotees equate the
demon with such ills as drug abuse and wife
beating. Which nine forms ofthe Goddess are
chosen to be celebrated varies from locale to
locale and allows local deities to be connected
ta this pan-Indian story and festival.
2t. In this film, women are given a
prominent position, If female divinities are
so important in India, why is India often
conveyed as a misogynist society?
The status of women in India is complex and
contradictory in many ways. On the one hand,
women are equated with divinity and talked of
as incarnations of the Goddess. On the other
hand, women are often relegated to second
class stafus, and a cofilmon early morning
prayer among brahman men is: "Thanks to
God, at least I was not born a woman." India
has had a woman prime minister (Indira
Gandhi) as well as many significant female
politicians, academics, and film stars. Yet
domestic and public violence against women is
widespread and deeply entrenched in societal
nofins.
21. What is the reason for wor.rshiping the
young girls during Navaratri (when Jalaja
gives them offering plateso offers aruti and
bows at their feet) ?
The young girls are viewed as pure. Therefore
the shahi (feminine divine energy) is thought
to flow through them easily. Jalaja invited
nine young girls between the ages of 7 and 9
to her home to perform the puja. The girls
were from poor or low-caste families who
lived in her neighborhood. Jalaja had measured
the girls beforehand and at the end of the puja
presented them each with a dress. She also fed
them tasty snacks as is shown in the film.
Through the puja she is performing a charity
for the girls and at the same time
acknowledging their inherent divine purity.
22. At the puja described abovg why do
the girls sit on the ground and eat off
temple.
23. Why do women cany clay dolls at the
Seven Virgins festival?
During the time in between festivals the
women would have taken a vow for a variety
of reasons to carry the doll during the festival.
They may take a vow if a child was sick and
they wanted to heal him or her, or if they
wanted to find a suitable husband for a
daughter, or ifthey wanted to conceive a child.
'It is customary to take a vow for someone
else's desire or condition. but one can also do
it for oneself.
24. What is the significance of the Seven
Virgins festival?
This festival is held once in 12 years. People
from ten villages participate. ds one can
imagine, the coordination of such an event
requires a great deal of time and cooperation
between the participating people. The festival
is a celebration of fertility. Seven young girls
are chosen from the ten villages. They stay for
two weeks in the temple prior to the festival.
During this time they are treated as vessels of
the Goddess. They are fed food blessed by the
priests. During the festival they give blessings
to the people by spreading ash on their
foreheads. At the height of the festival they
becorne possessed as shown in the film.
plantain leaves?
Sitting on the floor is customary in India.
25. How is possession understood? Why
do devote€$ c{r scream, or shake during
possession? Why do devotees gather
around someone who is possessed?
Utensils other than the right hand are often not
used. Plantain leaves are also the customary
plate. The leaves are washed and disposed of
after they are used once. Now stainless steel
plates are often used, but plantain leaves are
still used occasionally when eating a traditional
meal, at restaurants, in the home, or in a
In Tamil possession is literally called'*the play
of the Goddess." It is also explained as the
"wind" or "God enters]'. Although there are
no absolute rules for possession, there are
certain patterns that can be observed. For
instance a person may become possessed only
once or may become possessed repeatedly.
Possession may be spontaneous or scheduled
(such as the seven virgins). ft is explained that
women become possessed more often because
they are believed to be closer to the Goddess,
This dance is usually performed at night during
both entertaining and
festival.
mythological Usually as the night goes on the
dances get progressively more erotic and less
in that they are less exposed to
devotional. They communicate humorous
outside
influences and spend more time in prayer and
daily offerings. It is also believed that the
different expressions of possession are seen
(crying, laughing etc.) because the Goddess
displays this variety of expressions. People
can also become possessed by negative
sources, such as a demon. People who are
possessed by a God or Goddess are generally
thought to be especially pure hearted and
others take blessings from them, by touching
the possessed person's feet or receiving ash.
Often at a temple when a man or woman
becomes possessed others will gather around
to ask for a prophecy. Someone will ask will
my conceived child be a boy or a girl? or will
my brother-inJaw win the trial he is engaged
in?
26. Is it
common for children to go to a
temple?
Yes, children are taken to temples by older
siblings, parents and relatives when they are
small. Children may go to the temple by
themselves whenever they are old enough.
There is no restriction on age. There are
temples in every neighborhood. They play
loud devotional music and are usually filled
with brightly colored statues of Gods and
Goddesses (as well as animal deities, Hanuman
the monkey God and Ganesh the elephant
God). All ofthis is very attractive to children;
so they might come to the temple and pray or
just walk around on their way home from
school as the children are doins in the film.
27. What is the significance of
Karagattam (dancewith
head)?
a clay
the
pot on one's
a
It is
stories as well as serious teachings. The clay
pot is a fertility symbol; it is identified with the
womb.
28. Are the Alis (transgendered people)
accepted in society? What is their role?
The Alis have some similarities with
homosexuals in the west. They come from all
castes and have created their own comnnrnity.
These communities often adopt young men
who are rejected by their families for wanting
to dress or act like a woman. They perform at
religious festivals such as the Mariamman
festival in Madurai. They are at the am time
appreciated for their entertainment value and
scorned for their deviance from social norms
of gender and sexuality.
29. What are the sprouted grains carried
on devotees heads during the full moon
Veeramakaliamman festival?
The use of sprouted grains in spring-time
festivals is significant for their connection to
agricultural growth and cultivation. In
fulfillment of a vow a devotee would sprout
nine grains in a clay pot, then carry the
sprouted grains (up to a foot high) on top of
her head in procession during the festival.
This practice is likely related to the ancient
worship of vegetal spirits.
30. What is the story of
the
Veeramakaliamman temple and its festival?
One of the heads of the leading family in this
village explains the origin of this temple in the
following quote:
"We celebrate the festival for the Mother
Goddess. This originated at her shrine in
flowers, and jewels are offered up to the Gods
Burma. When we were about to leave Burm4
we prayed to the Goddess that She should
prot€ct us as we are shifting from one country
to another. She instructed us to take a handful
of mud from Her sluine wherever we went and
worship it, and if we did so, She would help
us. So my mother bundled some mud from the
temple floor into her saree and brought it
home. Then, she placed it on a cloth soaked in
turmeric and performed puja for it regularly.
We bought land here and built a house. Then
we installed a small temple here with the mud
and a trident and kept worshiping."
particular yajna the priest,
This story shows an example of how
the religion moves from place to place.
31. What are the meanings of the hand
gestures
form?
in the Bharata Nafyam dance
The hand gestures are called mudras. Bharata
Natyam dances are generally narrative and
relate devotional stories. Each rmtdra
communicates a specific idea, emotion, or
character in the narrative. This vocabulary is
learned by the dancers and is also understood
by the audience, Facial gesture is used in the
same fashion.
32. What is the square pit in front of the
priest at the midnight festival for Goddess
Angalaparmesveri in the cremation
grounds?
This is called ayajna. It is based on the Vedic
fire sacrifice, in which ayajrm wasconstructed
and various offFerings, such as milk, a piece of
cloth and food were burned in the pit. The
importance of theyajna, originally performed
as an offering to Agni, the God of fire, is that
through the use of fire the subtle essence of
gross material substances such as foodstufl
and Goddesses.
At this
dressed as the Goddess Angalapartnesveri (a
form of Goddess Kali), ate from a cremated
bone ofahuman corpse and offered the rest
the bone into the fire
of
pit. In Hindu
society
corpses are considered extremely polluting and
were ordinarily only handled by the
'hntouchable" castes. By this ritual what is
considered most polluting becomes most
sacred. This transformative power is typical of
Goddesses associated with fire and heat. After
the ritual, devotees eagerly lined up to receive
blessings from the priest.
33. What is the significance of the lamp
pujas?
Lamp pujas have become increasingly popular
in the last decade or so. They are akin to
bhahi, the path of devotion. Bhakti is taken
to mean leading with the heart. It is not the
path of the intellect or of action, although it
involves both, The larnp pujas are perfiormed
primarily by young to middle-aged women
mostly in regard to family affairs. The devotee
envisions the lamp as the form ofthe Goddess,
prays to it, and prostrates to it. A devotee
named Jayanti describes the internal experience
of such a ritual:
"We should light all types of incense like
bathik and camphor... thenyou should feed the
Mother with prasad (sacred food offered
before God). She will feed us furasafl in
return. When you eat from the Devi's hands,
all our sins will get cleansed, and our wisdom
and wealth will flourish. We imagirie all this
and reach the peak of ecstasy. We should say
a shanti (peace) mantra in the end. We should
open our mind's door and make our mind
Mother's abode. There will be a peace that
can be understood only by experience."
lived in the wilds and withstood certain
austerities that further prepared her for the
34. Csn anyone carry a firepot?
Onl.r oerlqin tprnnlec r-.^".,'.1.".
nerFnrrn fire nnt
strict spiritual discipline that has characterized
her life up until the present. In her teens and
early tu'enties villagers began to seek her out
for advice and to witness her ecstatic trances.
During these times she would act in the
manner ofKrishna (the cow-herding God), and
Kali (the fierce Goddess). In time spiritual
aspirants began to seek her out as their
teacher. Of her first disciples, three were from
outside of India. One woman was from
Australia; one man was from Reunion Island
offthe coast of Africa, and another man was
ceremonies, usually once a yeiu or every other
year. In
Tarnilnadu, Gcddess Mariarnrnan
temples are particularly associated with thee
chatti, fire pot carrying At these temples any
devotee who takes a vow to carry a firepot can
do so. He or she will fast and observe other
austerities for up to two weeks before the
festival. People rarely bum themselves,
although it is not unheard of. At a related
ritual, walking on hot coals, during this same
season, of 50 devotees who crossed the coals
on their bare feet. one man fell and burned
himself.
from the USA. Now in her early 40s
Ammachi has an ashram, called Amritapuri at
her birthplace in Kerala with residents from all
over the world, as well as from all over India.
She also travels extensively.
35. Who is Ammachi?
Ammachi is the respectful term for mother in
Malayalam, the language ofKerala. Ammachi
is considered to be an avatat, a God realized
soul. In the Bhagavad Gita-Krishna, who was
an avatat of God Vishnu, says "'When
righteousness is weak and faints, and
unrighteousness exults in pride, then my Spirit
arises on earth. Forthe salvation ofthose who
are good, for the destruction of evil in men,
for the fulfillment of the
36. Where in India do the events in the
film take place? (See map at the end of the
film guide)
kingdom of
righteousness, I come to this world in the ages
dim pass." (Book 4.7-8)
Ammachi was born to a poor fishing
family in Kerala, between the Indian ocean and
the backwaters. She attained high states of
spiritual experience at a young age and
showed signs of being a saint beginning in
childhood. She did not receive much formal
schooling beyond the elementary years and
spent her childhood working, gathering food
for the family cows and doing washing and
other rigorous household chores. She was
expelled from her home in her teens for
to
conduct herself in a manner
attractive to prospective bridegrooms. She
refusing
9
for a year of study, what would you make a
film about? How would' you go about
OUESTIONS FOR I}ISCUSSION
I.
researching this topic and planning your film?
What does Bearing the Heat mean?
Consider the difference between rituals
involving fire in contemporary Goddess
devotion and the notion that one should
"extinguish worldly fires" in order to achieve
enlightenment as gleaned from classical Hindu
scriptures.
2. How might one draw comparisons between
Indian patterns of devotional activity and
celebration and American holidays and
religious life? For example, consider the
similarities and differences between the
celebration of the nine night festival of
Navaratri and the 12 days of Christmas or
between Halloween and the midnight festival
for Goddess Angalapartnesveri in the
cremation grounds.
3. What is the significance of the Goddess
being associated with maternal images? (In
Tamil the word for mother and Goddess is the
same, Amma.) How does this compare with
Judaic or Christian images of female divinitv
and maternity?
4. Canyou find some cofllmonthreads among
the variety of rituals shown in the film? For
instance, what is the visual and auditory
impact of these rituals? What was your
response to these images on a visceral level?
on an intellectual level? on a spiritual level?
5. How
is the human body treated in Goddess
devotion in south India?
6. How would you describe the relationship
between the devotees and the Goddesses,
based on what yeu saw in the film?
7. If you'had
the opportunity to go to India
10
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agrawala, Vasudeva S. 1963. Devi-Mahatmyam: The Glorification of the Great Goddess.
Varanasi: All-India Kashiraj Trust.
Swami Amritasvarupananda. 1988. Mata Amritianandamayi: A Biqgraphy. San Ramon,CA: Mata
Anuitanandamavi Centers.
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