Pathak: The story behind the Kodava Jewel

On a warm evening as I sat with my mother sipping tea, I pondered over what I want to name this piece. It is an ode to the Kodava culture — my culture — and I wanted the title to reflect that. I stopped my mother from going to the kitchen and said “I want a good name for my blog! Something that revolves around my principles & values, my roots and everything that I love.” After brainstorming around the most clichéd elements synonymous with Kodagu, we ended up with the name ‘Pathak’.

Photo credits- Aanchal Muthamma — (Img 1.1 : Image of Pathak )

The story of Pathak originates from a legend of a celestial being visiting Earth. On this visit the beautiful Deva Kanye (Apsara) fell in love with a charming human prince who was lost in the jungle while hunting. The prince shared the same emotion the moment he laid eyes on her. Forgetting their boundaries of belonging to different worlds, they spent beautiful moments together. But when it was time for the Deva Kanye to leave, the thought of separation shattered the two. Reluctantly, she headed home with a heavy heart, promising to come back soon.

On her way back, she came across the Naga Devas (Snake Gods) who were astonished to see a beautiful maiden in tears. Upon hearing her story, the Snake Gods decided to help her on one condition: she could only marry her mortal lover without him tying the mangalsutra (the holy thread); instead someone from her world must carry out this ritual on the prince’s behalf to keep her divine traits intact. But that someone had to be unique — someone who loved her unconditionally and expects nothing in return. The only person she could think of was her mother.

As per the suggestion of the Snake Gods, she requested her mother to sanctify her marriage. The Snake Gods also vowed to protect the couple from the evil eyes of the human world. Not wanting to disappoint her daughter, the Deva Kanye’s mother tied the ‘Pathak’ or mangalsutra on behalf of the prince and sent her back to Earth to be his lawfully wedded wife.

This legend symbolises the unconditional love and the pivotal role of mothers in the Kodava culture — the role of safeguarding their daughters’ happiness and fulfilling their dreams by overcoming any challenges that destiny throws at them. This sends across a message that family is our only priceless possession.

The Kodavas are believed to be the descendants of the human prince and the celestial being. Thus, the ladies of our clan are considered to be special and are placed on a high pedestal as they are seen as Apsaras (fairies). To this day, Kodavas take forward this unique custom where the mother legitimates the wedding by adorning a Pathak on her daughter’s neck and blessing her to uphold her virtues and utilise her potential to the fullest — not only for the harmony and progress of her family but for the entire Kodava society.

(Img 1.2: Mother tying the Pathak to her daughter )

The Pathak has a golden coin embedded with goddess Lakshmi’s image and is surrounded with rubies and a snake hood on the top with hanging pearls. The large coral beads on either side of the pendent, fastened to the cord of black beads make it an exquisite piece of craftsmanship that symbolises fortitude, compassion and elegance.

Photo Credits — Aanchal Muthamma ( Img 1.3 :Image of the snake hood on the Pathak)

The snake hood element can also be interpreted through an eco-lens.a The native Kodagu tribes value the environment greatly and are essentially nature-worshippers. The snake hood, which is placed at a close proximity to the image of Goddess Lakshmi, enhances the idea that nature and natural creatures are close to divinity. This dismantles any anthropocentric narratives which have been dominant for centuries, and have emphasised on the superiority of human beings. Even till the present day, every Kodava family believes that a snake guardian is protecting them from all evil forces, reminding them that a symbiotic form of living with different beings is crucial for harmony to exist.

Kodagu, with all its myriad elements, is a place of unique and mysterious stories that one can unravel. Kodavas are an endangered community. We have no written scripts; only stories and folktales which ought to be known, practised and passed on. The tale of the auspicious jewel of Pathak is only one of many such traditions of Kodava culture.