User:Muckatira (Bethri) Family

Number of members in the okka: Around 80 Location – village: Murnaḍ-Badaga. Age: Over 125 years. TYPE OF Ainmane : Mund mane with a tiled lean-to on the steps in front, a pair of ubba posts at the entrance to the yard and a well to the right. The path across the yard leading to the steps has low cemented walls on both sides. Two flights of steps from the yard lead up to the left and right of the very long verandah. There is a large stone slab with a rough surface for visitors to wash their feet, in the yard near the steps to the right of the verandah. There are two doors from the verandah to the hall, the one to the right being the main entrance. Only guests and thamane ladies may sit on the first section of the aimara, to the left of the main steps to the verandah. No men, not even the pattedara, may sit on it. There is an entrance to the ainmane from the north side, and women married into the okka may enter the house only through that entrance – not through the front (east) doors of the verandah. The mund is a very long rectangular one (double the usual size) with 10 pillars (see photo). The nellakki has a gud and a hanging lamp. A long sword (bal kathi) given by the Raja is kept in the nellakki. The lamps in the kanni kombare and in the nellakki are lit every day by a woman of the house who wears her sari in the tradional Kodava style with a vasthra, for this daily ritual. Direction facing: East Kall boti : There are two, one in the front yard and one in the kala. The one in the front yard has a round base, and is painted with red and white vertical stripes (see photo). When the annual Subrahmanya puje is done, the kall boti in the front yard starts to vibrate, so they do a puje to Nātha and to the kall boti. Woodwork: The verandah has a 2 ½’ wide and 5” thick old aimara, and solid pillars with beautiful carvings on their capitols (see photos). The main door has a beautiful carved door-frame with a Gajalakshmi panel on top. Kanni kombare : Room in the south-west corner of the house, with cowdung-washed mud floor. Number of rooms: 12 (including the kitchen) Thakkame rights of the okka: Ur thakka. Pattedara : M.D.Chengappa Thutengala of the okka: In front, near the entrance from the road. The part to the right is to cremate those 50 years of age or more; the part to the left is to bury those less than 50 years of age. There is a separate place to bury children less than 10 years old and near it is a masani kad to bury thamane ladies who happen to die here. Even if they die elsewhwere, thamane ladies could be buried here if there is any problem with burying them where they died.
 * The karanava married a Muckatira lady and took her family name Muckatira.

Stories related to the okka : There are three versions of the story of their The first: There were two Palanganḍa brothers in Ikola.The elder stayed in IkoỊa and continued the Palanganḍa okka there. The younger brother came here and bought land from a Brahmin lady. He married her and took her mane peda Muckatira. The second: Their karanava married a Brahmin lady here and became Muckatira because that was her mane peda. They had two sons. One stayed here and continued the Muckātira okka. The other went to the Palanganḍa okka in Ikola and continued that okka. The third: A Palanganḍa man from Ikola came here, bought Mukkati land belonging to the Maraya (temple drummer) community and took on the Muckatira mane peda. Members of this Muckātira okka do not inter-marry with members of the Ikola Palanganḍa okka. The okka has 250 bhatti of Jamma bhumi and Devada bhumi. Parpathyagar Muckatira Achayya of Murnad-Badaga was named in the list of 34 noted for bravery in quelling the 1837 Amarasuiya katakayi in the letter dated 9/5/1837 by Col. Marc Cubbon, Commissioner of Kodagu, Bangalore.(Source: Pattole Palame and G. Richter’s Gazetteer of Coorg). These men were offered the money that was looted from the Mangalore treasury by the rebels to be shared among them. But they refused it and were offered medals, pensions (for three generations), jahagir and umbali land, horses and broadcloth instead. FROM : Muckatira Bethri Family (Murnad Badaga)