Draupadi’s Theemithi – Singapore’s fire-walking festival through the ages (Part I).

It was 1819 when businessman and social entrepreneur Narayana Pillai set foot in Singapore for the second time alongside Stamford Raffles, who then had already found Singapore. Eight years later, Narayana Pillai instated a small Amman deity in the midst of a wood-and-attap temple structure for the residing Indian immigrants who had already formed a community. The very deity now, a hundred and ninety-three years later, is revered as Sri Mariamman, the wood-and-attap structure now towering over South Bridge Road almost with a palace-like architecture and established as an icon of modern Singapore.

Being the oldest temple in Singapore, Sri Mariamman Temple sees a throng of devotees every single day, ranging from awe-inspired tourists to the local communities who have been frequenting the temple grounds as children ; regardless of race. However, Sri Mariamman Temple is fondly recognised by Singaporean Indians as playing host to the annual fire-walking festival or as we say – தீமிதித் திருவிழா (theemithi thiruvizha, “thee” meaning fire, “mithi” meaning step and “thiruvizha” meaning festival).

The annual fire-walking festival has been taking place in Singapore for almost two centuries, rich and dripping with tradition, rituals, reason and religious context that has seen some minor changes over the ages and through the generations that existed. It has been an integral part of every son who steps on the burning ambers with faith as much as every devotee who steps over the temple threshold and bows to the goddess within its walls – but how much do we know about the significance behind each and every move made during the months that lead up to the festival itself?

Seated on the left of the main deity is Draupadi, the female protagonist and one of the many powerful female archs in the legendary Mahabarata. As such, Singapore’s fire-walking festival is closely associated with the events that unfold in the epic itself – Draupadi bearing forefront and being the pre-dominant force in whose presence the fire-walking festival is conducted in.

The longest epic in the world, the Mahabarata was written in 200,000 lines and 1.8 million words, narrated by Sage Vyasa to Lord Ganesha who acted as his scribe. The epic revolves around the war of Kurukshetra in which the five Pandava cousins fought against their one hundred Kaurava cousins over a power struggle. Draupadi was the primary queen and consort of all five Pandava brothers, who was also caught in the tussle between her husbands and their cousins. Disrobed of her clothes and honour, she takes a dreadful oath that leads all of them on the path of battle. Her story sets the entire context of the fire-walking festival, her male devotees stepping over fire embers to mark the fulfilment of her oath.

We got into conversation with one such man, who not only stepped the fire for her, but became the embodiment of her fiery being during the selective events of the fire-walking festival – Balakrishnan V.R, or more fondly known by the community as “Draupadi” Bala.

“End of 1973, onwards 1974 – I was seventeen years old when my mother forcefully dragged me here to the temple. Dragged me, because I was a rather disobedient boy back then, with zero interest towards the temple and its affairs. The cook back then embraced me and taught me everything I needed to be aware of. He let me observe and even take part in menial jobs. I was of course, irritated because to me, it felt like what I called ‘a priest’s job’, but over time, my interest slowly peaked as I became more involved.”

“We were known as the Navaratri Boys back then in the 1970s, a team of 36 men. We oversaw every event in temple that started from Navaratri all the way to the fire-walking itself. Currently, we see many different groups of volunteers allocated to a particular deity in the temple. For example, we have the main sanctum volunteer group, we have another group of volunteers manning the sanctum of Periyachi Amman, yet another group of volunteers in-charge of Aravan’s sanctum, and so on. These volunteers work together to ensure that all the events leading up to the main are seamless.”

Navaratri or the Nine Nights, is a celebration that spans over nine consecutive nights as its name suggests, through the Indian cultural sphere in reverence to the Goddess Durga in the Hindu pantheon. In Mariamman temple, Navaratri also marks the countdown towards the fire-walking festival that occurs two weeks later. Thus, it lights the temple abuzz with excitement and religious fervour as its doors open to many devotees, prayers, cultural arts and celebration.

“Navaratri Boys were all older men, much older than me. I watched, I observed, I learnt and I slowly took over leadership in due time. I was known to be hardworking, and I forged really good connections with everyone here, management, priests and even devotees. I spent 45 years of servitude here in Mariamman temple, thus.”

The year was 1981 – the young Bala was then called in by the temple management for a meeting that would turn his life around and put him on another pedestal.

“When they called me in, they told me that the man who usually dons the role of Draupadi was retained in his hometown due to his mother’s death and wouldn’t be able to make it down for the following week’s Aravan Kalabali event (the war sacrifice of Aravan). I immediately realised their reason for wanting me in this meeting – I flatly refused. I thought they were crazy to even consider me for the role of Draupadi. Find someone else, I told them.”

“After much persuasion and encouragement from the then-temple chairman, I reluctantly agreed.”

“It was my first year and naturally, the fear was real. I was rigid about my role and the discipline of fasting that came with it. I only had some katsuri turmeric and kohl to line my eyes with as I slowly transformed into Draupadi. I never even looked into the mirror – with every smear of turmeric and every stroke of the kohl, I channeled her anger as mine to hold on to. I felt her urge to complete her oath, a kind of divine vibration that I didn’t see coming at all. People described me as ferocious ; the perfect Draupadi.”

“When the event ended, I was called to the office again. The chairman asked me my name.”

“My name is Bala.”

He shook his head.

“No. From today, you’ll be known as Draupadi Bala.”