Theethramada Okka

About the Okka

Theetramada Okka’s story says that when Lingaraja came by giving manepedas to the okkas, he called out to the people of this okka. A lady came out of the house and said “Nan makkak theethyanḍulla” (I am feeding food to my children). So he named this okka Theetharamakkaḍa which became Theetharamāḍa.

A thayi of this okka had a son called Mookayya, by her first husband – a Karera man who died. She then married a Theetharamaḍa man. Mookayya never married, and looked after all the sons born to her. This okka therefore calls him ‘Mookayya balya’ with respect.

It is said that when Botekara Ishwara came here from Kerala looking for a place to establish himself, Karera Mookayya gave him nele on their jamma land. The Koyavas who came with Ishwara were given rights at the Ishwara namme. (All their customs are like those of Kodavas).

A famous ancestor of the okka during Lingaraja’s time was Ane kuthi Kalayya. He built kappas (pits) to trap wild elephants. When an elephant approached the pit he would swing from a tree and kick the elephant into the pit. Once an elephant caught him with its trunk and pushed him into the pit, and it is believed that he was punished by God for his cruelty to elephants.

Because members of this okka had a quarrel with others in the naḍ, the okka was not allowed to participate in the Gummathmaḍ naḍ mand in Kirgoor. So they planted a stone (like a mile stone) at the foot of the araỊi (peepal) tree here and established the oor mand near the Nalloor oorambala.

Moolapurusha

Muddaiyya

Ainmane