Hethai AMMA

All about the Badagas of the Blue Mountains!

A website by Wing Commander Bellie Jayaprakash

The deity of Badagas is HETHAI,

the all powerful Goddess whose history is an epic of inspiration

The history of Hethai has been passed on from generation to generation by folklore and ballads. I came across a booklet in Tamil written in 1935 called 'History of Hethai Amman', probably the first written account by Naduhatti BoggaMadha Gowder. It is my previledge to reproduce the complete book in its original form.

Since these scanned pages are in JPEG format, click on any page for enlargement and easy reading.

Hethai - 1 : Introduction

Hethai - 2 : History of Beraganni Dodda Hethai

Hethai - 3 : History of Pedduva Savudi Hethai

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History of Hethai

Introduction

The booklet ” Sri Hethaiammal sarithiram ( History of Sri Hethai Ammal) ” written by Mr. N.N. Bogga Madha Gowder, is indeed one of the rare books written on ‘ Hethai ‘, the revered deity of Badagas of the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India, some sixty/seventy odd years ago.

Given in its original form in Tamil in the following pages.

[Wherever possible, I have tried to give the translation in English - Bellie Jayaprakash ]

English version of the above

Sulogam suya Badaga Bashae

Eiyu hethapparu,aelingi hennu, aeval thoraiyana

ellakkannadi joikindi, jay thaige erasi makkeri emba

hiriya devara hegaluno hoththuthale malei seemai enda

ela malei seemega bappane kaadu kaadu aladu kaare medu bandu

kaala sandu kulindu erasi makkeri hittitu edadariga hogi

makkeria madimaadi, marasi thirigi bandu kaarai mera meda nodu

vane eezhuthalai nagappa erasi makkeriyoge hibbane, kartha ranga

thorida endu kaiethi saranamaadi marasi thirigi bandu sole

sole suthi neela malae ga hathi kaarai morava edirunodi

kalla sele nattu neelagiri rangasamy endu nile naatida

vakkara nenjunoge nenethu barivo.

The original cover page and the author Madha Gowder

{ Bellie Jayaprakash adds : The figure shown on the cover is not to be mistaken to be that of Hethai . It appears to be one of the standard Picture blocks available with any printing press (in this case Blue Mountain Press, Coonoor) in those days.

[In fact, there are no pictures of ” Hethai ” at all ]}

N.N.Pokka Madha Gowder,

Nadu hatti, Katta Bettu

Family tree

1. Kuruda Hethappan , his son 2. Halli Hethappan his son 3. Ubjja Hathappan, hia son 4. Kakke Hethappan his son 5. Putta Hethappan, his son 6. Nanjaiya Gowder his son 7. OdaNanjappa gowder, his son 8. Pokka Madha Gowder his son 9. Ranga Gowder (aged 20) Through my elder daughters there are 11 lineages and from our elder families there are 14/15 lineages - N N Pokka Madha Gowder