Myth of Vamana and Mahabali: Jungian approach to the origin of Onam festival

Harsha Kuriakose; Eric Soreng

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| Published: June 25, 2020

Myth of Vamana and Mahabali: Jungian approach to the origin of Onam festival

Harsha Kuriakose

Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India. Google Scholar More about the auther

, Eric Soreng

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India. Google Scholar More about the auther

DIP: 18.01.108/20200802

DOI: 10.25215/0802.108

ABSTRACT

Festivals celebrate the return of the sacred time and its fabled paradisal state for the humankind. The harvest festival of Kerala—Onam—celebrates the annual return of the King Mahabali, a devotee of Vamana (Lord Vishnu), who represents the virtues needed to rule the land and the hopes for the mass well-being. The three worlds belong to the divinities; the kingdoms belong to the virtues and vices of the kings. The king of the land projects the psyche of the people and the status of the kingdom. King Mahabali thus makes nature’s facilitations efficacious. Like Vamana who is the preserver, King Mahabali, who is the cultural hero of Kerala, too returns to bless his people with prosperity. The paper presents the interpretation of the myth of Vamana and Mahabali using archetypal amplification and reflects on the origin and ceremonies of the Onam festival.

Keywords

Myth, Harvest Festival, Rituals, Psyche, Sacred Time

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How to cite this article: H Kuriakose & E Soreng (2020). Myth of Vamana and Mahabali: Jungian approach to the origin of Onam festival. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(2), 912-919. DIP:18.01.108/20200802, DOI:10.25215/0802.108