kantabare -
boodabare
THE BRAVEHEARTS OF BILLAWA COMMUNITY
During the 17th century, Warapadi (Ulepadi) Chandraya Ballala, also known as Sawanta Arasa, ruled Mulki from Kolloor. His wife was Aikalaguttu Pulla Pergadti. They were both unhappy because they had been married for many years and did not have any children. One day, one of their tenants, Manjanna, visited Pulla Pergadti to give her fresh fruits and saw that she was worried. When he asked her what was wrong, she told him her problems. He suggested that she pray to Lord Manjunath of Kadire, who, like Lord Vishwanath of Kashi and Lord Jagannath of Puri, fulfills the wishes of his worshipers. Pulla Pergadti, the queen, followed his advice and traveled in a palanquin to Kadire with her family to seek blessings.
On her way, near Suratkal Kajeri gardens, she saw a girl in an oilseed (teel) field using a stick to drive away birds. The girl came up to the palanquin and angrily scolded the queen's family for damaging the crops. The queen was impressed by the girl's actions and asked about her. The girl, named Aachu (later known as Aachu Baideti), said she belonged to the Billawa caste. The queen immediately liked the girl and kept her busy by discussing various topics. Aachu confidently answered all of the queen’s questions. The queen eventually asked if Aachu would come with her. Aachu said she would have to ask her uncle for permission and went back to the field. The queen then instructed others in the field to tell Aachu's uncles to meet her when she returned from the temple.
Aachu’s maternal uncles—Kaje Jetti, Kaje Mainda, Kaje Dooma, and Kaje Aita—were very worried, thinking that their niece had upset the queen. They waited for the queen with offerings of fruits and green coconuts. Pulla Pergadti asked them to let Aachu come to the palace with her, promising to treat her like her own daughter. Aachu's uncles agreed and gave Aachu a sword decorated with ornaments. They also prayed to the gods for their niece’s protection, and the god Jumaadi followed her in response to their prayers. As promised, the queen cared for Aachu as her own daughter in the palace. Aachu grew into a beautiful woman, and the queen arranged for her to marry one of her tenants, Warapadi Kunda baare. Aachu continued to live in the palace with the queen..
One day, the queen and Aachu left the palace to check on the children of her tenants. It was a very hot day, and Aachu fainted near Guddesana. The sword her uncles had given her fell to the ground and created a spout of water. The queen, who was in a deserted area, looked around for help. The hole from the sword turned into a well filled with sweet water. The queen soaked the loose end of her saree in the well to get water, which she gave to Aachu, who immediately woke up.
They both returned to the palace. Aachu became pregnant, and it is believed that the sweet water from the well caused her pregnancy. The queen was happy with the news. One night, Lord Manjunath appeared in the queen’s dream and told her that Aachu would give birth to twin boys with divine powers. According to custom, Aachu went to her maternal home with her uncles for her first delivery. She went into labor while reaching Kolloor mountain. Local people took her to a house near the lower mountains (tirtha gudde), where she gave birth to twin boys. When the queen heard the news, she came and took Aachu and the babies back to her palace, where she cared for them. Aachu died shortly after, leaving the queen to become the babies' foster mother. She named the boys Kaanta and Booda. They later became famous as Kaanta Baare and Booda Baare.
The boys grew up like shining stars. At the age of 16, they became skilled in fighting for different types of wars and battles at Samanta Garadi in Sasihitlu of Mulky state. They used their divine powers to build another gymnasium (garadi) and a well in front of it at Sasihitlu. Legend says that each of them lifted two extremely large stones to bring to the garadi site. While crossing the Pawanje river, one of the stones fell in. They placed the remaining three stones near the garadi gates to be used as steps. The well and the three stones are still visible in front of the Garadi today.
The king eventually passed away. The queen worried about the kingdom's future and the marriage of her only daughter, Duggu (also called Manjamma). She was concerned about the traditional customs of inviting neighboring kings, which often led to arguments over the selection of a groom. However, Kaanta Baare and Booda Baare promised her that they would arrange the marriage ceremony without any problems. To avoid any unpleasant situations, they got Duggu married to Beesabannar Pergade of Aikala by breaking the old customs
King Kubera of Bedra Puttige (who was called Chautarasa back then) became furious, feeling that the people of Mulky had humiliated him by breaking these customs. He had always wanted to expand his kingdom over Mulky, and this gave him a reason to attack its borders. One night, he and Dugganna Konde, another enemy of Mulky, crossed the Mundkoor region and reached Mulky's borders. Kaanta Baare and Booda Baare, who were part of Mulky's infantry, fought aggressively and defeated the enemies, beheading Dugganna Konde during the battle. Kubera managed to escape and flee the battlefield. Mulky’s army celebrated their victory.
Pleased with the victory, the queen asked the Baare brothers to request anything they wanted. Booda Baare asked for the land at Rajapuri. The queen replied that the land had been occupied for many years and it would be wrong to make the current occupants leave. She offered them other properties instead, but Booda Baare insisted on the land at Rajapuri and would not accept anything else. Kaanta Baare tried to calm his brother but was unsuccessful. This incident caused a misunderstanding between them, and Booda Baare separated from his brother to join Bailasoodarasa of Karkala. On his own, he won many battles for this new king, including one against Nanje Gowda.
Kubera, who had been defeated by the brothers before, learned of their split and planned to attack Mulky again. When an old spy and trusted fighter from Mulky heard of the possible attack, he went to Booda Baare and told him that Kaanta Baare was seriously injured in battle and that he needed to come immediately. Worried, Booda Baare rushed to see his brother. To his surprise, his brother welcomed him with open arms. They forgave each other for the past issues and once again fought together against their enemies. Kubera fled the battlefield again in the hard-fought battle at Kubemar. The brothers defeated their enemies and killed Shivamunguli, the army chief of Mundkoor Ballal. They then crowned Beesabannar Pergade as the new king at Simantoor. The brothers assured the new king that they would continue to fight and protect the country's borders, as they had always respected truth and justice.
However, this time, Kubera was very strong due to the blessings of Koraga Babbu and did not run away. He continuously attacked the twin brothers with different weapons and insulted them. Enraged, Booda Baare attacked Kubera and cut off his head. Seeing their king killed, Kubera's soldiers surrendered to the Baare brothers. Although they won the battle, Kaanta Baare's right arm was badly wounded by an enemy sword blow. He ignored the wound, and it did not heal for a long time.
One day, after the war and after finishing all their duties, they were resting under a tree at Kolloor. Looking at the bad condition of Kaanta Baare’s arm, Booda Baare asked, “Oh, elder brother, look what happened to your arm. Have we finished all our duties on this earth?”. Overcome by his younger brother's sadness, Kaanta Baare replied, “Yes, my beloved younger brother, we have finished all our duties on this earth. This wound on my arm is not going to heal now. If we live any longer in this condition, it may disgrace our reputation. Let us leave our human bodies and go to heaven”. The brothers bowed to mother earth and prayed to all the gods they believed in. They then walked hand-in-hand to Simantoor. There, they stood near the sweet water well and disappeared, going to their heavenly home.
KOTI-CHENNAYYA AND KANTA BAARE AND BOODA BAARE
It is said that during the same period, another set of revered twin brothers, Koti-Chennayya, who were brave men from Padumale-Enmoor, fought against injustices and cruelties committed by landlords against the poor. They were building gymnasiums (garadis) in many places from Badagana Barkoor to Tenkana Chandragiri lake, which were the borders of Tulunad at that time. When Kaanta Baare and Booda Baare heard that they were approaching the borders of Mulky, they decided to stop them.
Legend has it that Koti-Chennayya and Kaanta Baare and Booda Baare fought against each other at Hejamadi basti paddu. The battle went on for seven days and seven nights without a clear winner. Seeing the intense fight, Goddess Durga Parameshwari of Bappanad appeared and told them to stop. She said, “All of you are equally strong and brave. All four of you are my devotees. From now on, none of you will encroach on each other’s territory. The borders of Mulky will continue to belong to the Baare brothers”. She allowed the Koti-Chennayya brothers to build a gymnasium (garadi) near the Mahalingeshwara temple at Hejamadi. All four of them respected the goddess’s decision.
MORE ABOUT KANTA BAARE AND BOODA BAARE
It is also believed that the brothers were "AJANUBAHU," or people with long arms that reached their knees. The bows they used were about seven feet long. It is believed that they planted a jackfruit tree in the field at Bakimar that produced two types of jackfruits for the first time: soft (tuluva) and hard (barke). The clothes they wore, the wooden equipment, and the weapons they used, including their bows and arrows, as well as the temple where they prayed, are all still preserved and worshiped at Ulepadi Kshetra. The well of sweet water, which is believed to be the cause of their birth, their cradle, and the field they farmed are still preserved at Kolloor (tirthagudde). The brothers are worshiped at Ulepadi Guddesana and at the Sasihittilu garadi in Karnad Beedisana. There is no system of offering kola to them, but people offer prayers in the form of agelu seva. The heroic Baare brothers never married and left the earth when they were between 30 and 40 years old.
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Inspired by Brahmashree Narayana guru