KOCHI: When he got two large pebbles almost twenty years ago from the woods at Devikulam near Munnar, P B Peter, who was then working for Tata Tea extraction section, was not aware of the belief that what he possessed is connected with the epic of Mahabharatha.
There are many version of the epic and according to one, it is believed that during the period of ‘Vanavasa’ (sojourn through the wilderness), the Pandavas stayed for a while at the hilly terrains of Devikulam near Munnar. The Kings who favoured the Pandavas used to supply provisions to them at the Suryanelli forests which was not too far from Devikulam.
Among the provisions, one of the Kings once supplied ‘broken rice’ as a special item to Draupadi. She made steamed ‘rice balls’ with it for her beloved husbands, especially Bhima, the second and the voracious giant of the five. The next day, Panchali served the rice delicacy for breakfast and set aside a major portion for Bhima. With vehement appetite for the rice balls piled up before him, he mouthed a big handful but, alas, there he stood with gaping mouth and popping eyeballs! All the four brothers including Panchali stood transfixed. Right the next moment, he spat it all out uttering derisively, “No salt, no taste” and he threw the entire rice balls away.
Legend has it that the unsavoury balls he hurled spread over the entire foothills, and the farmers and sojourners, to this day, chance upon those balls as they spade or roam the foothills. This is a popular myth around the locality.
Meawnhile, P B Peter, who has a thirst for knowledge where historic events are concerned, had collected two stone-like objects from Devikulam Hills during his visit to the place.
“Initially I thought it was just a stone. Later, when the locals told me about the myth, I broke one piece and tasted it. I was surprised to find that there was indeed no salty flavour to it; it was almost tasteless,” said P B Peter.
However Peter says that one cannot make sure if Bhima ever visited the hills or the incidents detailed took place. “It is a complicated study. We can conclude in either ways; credit is attributed to the particular stone after finding its similarity to the incident in Mahabharatha or vice versa,” he added.
Legend also has it that Draupadi (Panchali Devi) used to bathe in the lake/pond (kulam) at the foothills, and hence the place came to be known as Devikulam.
“I still have the other stone aka rice ball with me. I’ve kept it safely and hope that it will help researchers who are tracing the myth,” he added.