Puberty Rites and Rituals among Valluvars of Pudhucherry A Gender Perspective

Abstract

In India feminine gender of women is conceptualized as fertility. Thereforein every transition stages of women various rites and rituals are performed forhonouring her feminine and fertility, Because she has a responsibility to continue thepatrilineal line by giving birth to children. Eventually to fulfill her duty of feminity, thetremonton importance of women‟s is given. Fertility is essential to the complete identityof an woman .As the feminity and fertility are immutably linked. This is particularlyapparent in beliefs concerning the puberty rites and rituals as it enables women torecognize their natural generative power and to construct the feminine gender incontradistinction to the masculine.

In this paper an attempt is made to bring about the salient features in regardingwith the rite and rituals of puberty among Valluvar of Pudhucherry in genderperspective. The Valluvar are Tamil speakers and are priestly community of ScheduledCaste group of Tamil Nadu and Pudhucherry.

There are two Objectives in this study. First one is to study the perception ofpuberty celebration and other one to study the rite and rituals related with the puberty.

The data for this research is conducted among Valluvar of Pudhucherry districtin Union Territory of Pudhucherry. In Pudhucherry district two villages are selected,where there is high concentration of Valluvar population. An ethnographic data iscollected on Valluvar of Pudhucherry district. As this subject is related with women,many women informants of different age group are interviewed and observation methodis also used for collecting the data.

This rite is followed by rites of separation into a sexual world. This is atransition period from social kinship, between physical maturity and social maturity.Puberty is welcomed by one and all, for one cannot reach the state of motherhood, ahigher status, without attaining menarche.

Key words: Valluvar, Conception of womanhood, Puberty