Tale of Narikoravars

I am back after a long absence. The baby takes all my time and energy. This post is on Narikoravar tribe that hail from the border of Tamilnadu and Andra Pradesh.

Narikoravars are worshipers of a tribal goddess called Jakkama. As an offering to Jakkama, a Narikorava lives six months in his house doing agriculture and the next six months he goes begging from place to place.

Very often they can be spotted begging from house to house playing a small drum like instrument. They are usually harmless but not always.

They are known for practice of sorcery. In a village in Nilgris, one of the Narikorava was insulted and he jinxed the whole village. In some houses when they opened cooked pots of rice they would be shocked to see it turn in to stool.

This went on for some time and ultimately the villagers had to seek help of a namboothri from Kerala to break the jinx.

They are also soothsayers. Before marrying my father, my mother was informed by a narikorava soothsayer about my father's marriage proposal. Intriguing!