Udappu

Udappu or Udappuwa (Tamil: உடப்பு) is a traditional Tamil fishing and shrimp farming village situated miles ( km) north of Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in the Western Province.^[1] It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and Munneswaram Hindu temple.

Topography

It is a coastal village bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean and on the south by Andimunai sand dunes a noted tourist attraction. It also has the Mundal lagoon to east of the village. ^[1]

Demography

The estimated population of the village is 15,000 people. The people of the village are Hindu and are generally considered to be Karaiyar. But others believe that they are actually Mukkuvar who are also dominant in the east of the country^[2] and practice their unique brand of Hinduism; their culture and lifestyle are notably different from other people engaged in fishing along the coast of Chilaw. Most of their neighboring villages belonging to the kindred Karave caste are Catholics or Buddhists and identify themselves as Sinhalese.^[1]^[3]

Due to the continuing effects of the Sri Lankan civil war there are also a number of Tamil refugees from rest of the country living in the village, specifically from the eastern Trincomalee district. ^[4]^[5]People in the village are adversely affected by the effects of the civil war.^[6]^[7]

Culture

The village is known for its elaborate Hindu temples and unique festivals. In the Tamil month of Avani which corresponds to late July to early August, an 18-day festival commences with the flag-hoisting ceremony and ending with fire-walking in front of Udappu's Draupadi Amman Temple. The 18-day period is spent in prayer and fasting, with a priest reciting the Mahabharata epic to remind everyone of the story of Draupadi, the five Pandava brothers' common wife, whose chaste and virtuous ways enabled her to recover the kingdom they been deprived of by King Duryodhana. The Draupadi festival comes to a conclusion on the final evening when the entire male population of Udappu walk barefoot over a bed of red hot coals without injury in a ceremony called Tee Mithi in Tamil language.^[1]^[8](see pic here)

Reference

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Udappu.org (English)
^ The Maravar suitor By Henry Corea (The Sunday Observor)
^ Participation, patrons and coastal villages University of Sussex
^ Emergency assistance-Udappu
^ Udappu as a refuge UNHCR
^ SRI LANKA: List of some abducted persons for the last one year AHRC
^ Securing Mannar] Sri Lanka monitor
^ Festival for Draupathi Amman

External links

Location of the village

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