Kabbalamma Temple

Story of Kabbalamma 

Kabbali was married to Rangappanna a poor farmer. Though they were poor, they were rich in love. Kabbali was very sad that she did not have children. One day when she was looking sad, her husband askes her ‘what was bothering her’. Kabbali says that it was a long time since she had visited her younger sister and her children. Kabbali loved her younger sister ‘Bisilamma’ and her children very much. 

Rangappanna gave her permission to meet her sister and her children who were in another village. Kabbali feels very happy that she will be going to see her sister, but also feels unhappy that they have no money to buy anything and cannot go to see her empty-handed. After searching she finds ‘Three anna’s’ at home. She gives it to her husband and asks him to bring a cart full of things. He laughs and says ‘How can I bring a cart full of things for three anna’s. She challenges her husband that if she brings a cart full of goods, what would he do. He accepts the challenge saying that he would stand in front of her house as a Garudagamba (Stamba – pillar). As this was not a serious argument, she goes to the ‘santre’ (Market) and brings a cart full of things and happily runs to her husband to call him and show that she had brought a cart full of things. As promised the husband says he would stand in front of her house as a pillar. Kabbali pleads him not to do that as it was just for fun, but he disagrees and says that ‘tomorrow people would speak about Kabbali’s husband who had not kept up the promise and that he would not like people speaking bad about Kabbali’. So he turns himself into a pillar and stands in front of her house. Kabbali realizes that all these things happening was God’s wish and destiny. 

After some days she takes some sweets and things and goes to meet her sister. Meanwhile, in the neighboring village, her sister Bisilamma will be sitting with her neighbor. As soon as her neighbor sees Kabbali walking at a distance, she carries her child to go back to her house and also says Bisilamma to hide her children from her sister, as her sister would feel jealous. Immediately Bisilamma drags her playing children and hides each one of them under a bamboo basket and orders them not to come out until she called. Kabbali sees Bisilamma dragging her children into the house. After reaching her sister’s house, kabbali asks her sister to call her children. Bisilamma says, her children have gone out and are not at home. Kabbali ask where Bisilamma’s husband was? She answers that her husband had gone to the market on work and that she too had to join him now. Kabbali requests her to show the children at least once but Bisilamma does not budge.

When Kabbali sees the basket turned upside down she asks ‘what was there under that’. Bisilamma says that there was nothing but stone under the basket. Kabbali gets very angry and curses ‘Let there be Stones under the basket’. As soon as she says, the children will have turned into stones. Bisilamma runs behind Kabbali cries, and falls at her feet asking for forgiveness. Kabbali says that ‘nothing can be changed now’.

At that time one son who had escaped all this drama, comes running to greet his doddamma (Big Aunty). Kabbali hugs him and blesses him ‘saying from now on he will be the only son for his mother and that he will have to come to see his doddamma (Big Aunty) – Kabbalamma every year and perform a festival called “Sidi habba”‘. 

Sidi habba is a festival where wooden logs are burnt and converted to Coal and people run over it to ward off all bad eyes and evil spirit as a mark of harake (ex-voto).

She further says to her sister, ‘from now on I will not step into your place, you come to my place and take the honor’. So every year a car festival is performed and all the goddess from the nearby villages will come here and take the honor from goddess Kabbalamma.