Onam for some reason so much resonates with Malayalis, while Mahabali the king whose legend is the backbone of this festival has a lineage and empire that spreads far beyond the paddy fields of Kerala. He was the grandson of Prahlada whose father Hiranyakashyap (clearly not Malayalis) was killed by Vishnu in his Narasimha Avatar. When Vishnu’s another avatar Vamana decides to stop Mahabali from his Ashwameda Yagna on the banks of the Narmada river (in Madhya Pradesh), we now know this is no more an exclusive Malayali event.
So my non-malayali friends, just because the final step that Vamana took happened in Thrikkakkara (in kerala), where Mahablai was sent down to the ‘heaven like underworld’, Mahabali was assumed to be a Malayali king and the traditions that layered around Onam for centuries stamped him with a birth certificate and a pot belly that’s very much part of the Malayali culinary and rangoli ethos. So if you do not know how to wrap a thin porous mundu around your not-so-rounded waist and hate rice, still join the celebrations. After all he was not just a Malayali king! Happy Onam!
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