Vodeel to Halekote

Halekote is a place near Moodigere.

Parvathi Ajji, the daugher of Venkatesha Irwathraya of Vodeel became a widow and had no children. It is told that she was related to Karaya Vailaya family. The widow Parvathi Ajji mostly lived with the Irwathraya family.

Anantha Irwathraya -1, the second son of Venkatesha Irwathraya of Vodeel got married to Bhageerathi.  Whatever the present Irwathraya families living at Vodeel, Bendrala & Halekote are all the grand children, great grand children and great great grand children of the couple Anantna Irwathraya-1 & Bhagirathi.

Padmanabha Irwathraya the third son of Venkatesha Irwathraya got married, but had no issues, and was living with his father at Vodeel.

Bhageerathi, the wife of Anantha Irwathraya -1, was the only daughter for her parents. Her father was known to be a great Mantravadi. Bhageerathi was bearly 5 years old when she married the 15 years old Anantha Irwathraya-1. It is told that, after the marriage, at such a very young age, she used to play with Anantha Irwathraya-1 and beat him, unaware of the Etiquettes of husband - wife relation. Bhageerathi inherited her parent’s small agricultural property at Halekote of Moodigere Taluk. This had prompted Anantha Irwathraya -1, to move from Vodeel to Halekote at Moodigere taluk to lookafter the property. He continued to live there, thereafter.

Single family/Joint family concept of Irwathrayas at Vodeel, Bendrala & Halekote:

Bendrala is about 25 KMs away from Vodeel. Halekote is further 40 KMs away from Bendrala. Thus Vodeel & Halekote are about 65 Kms apart. Inspite of non-existance of travel facilities like bus / car etc at that time, the Irwathraya families living at these three places maintained close contacts and lived like a single family. There was very close bondage between the kins. Walking, cycling and the Bullock cart were the only travel modes kept these families closer. Vodeel to Halekote route is as below:

Vodeel ------ Maddadka/Guruvayanakere -------- Beltangady ------- Ujire ------- Nidigal ------- Somanthadka --------- Mundaje --------- Chibidre  ----- Kakkinje ------ Benrdala ------ Kakkinje/Charmady ------- Kottigehara ---------- Bidirahalli ------- Halekote

Anantha Irwathraya-1 was a fair person – six footer with beautiful personality. It is learnt that he was very lazy. Contrary to this, Bhageerathi was a very Dynamic lady. Her father was told to be a great Mantravaadi. It was her drive & thrust that made her husband to practice Mantravaada. It is told that, if some Mantravaada clients came, it was Bhageerathi who  put the Bhasma (ash) in Kasarakka (kayer / Nuxvomica) leaves, chant whatever mantras she knew in Maalya (Pooja room)and called her husband inside and asked him to hand it over to clients waiting outside.  Thus she helped the family to earn something. It is also learnt that, due to poverty, she used to milch cows and earn something by selling Ghee in the village. It is legendary that, the present properties of Irwathrayas at Halekote were acquired out of her such hard earned money – the proceeds of Ghee sold. It is also told that she was a hard worker, and looked after the agriculture single handedly. If some guests arrived, she herself used to climb the coconut tree to pluck tender coconuts for offering to the guests.  It is told that Aanantha Irwathraya -1 was a well dressed and clean person with robust health.  Anantha Irwathraya -1  & Bhageerathi couple had five sons as below:

Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1,

Subraya Irwathraya,

Sreenivasa Irwathraya -1,

Eeshwara Irwathraya and

Anantha Padmanabha Irwathraya.

Anantha Irwathraya – 1

Bhageerathi               : 1. Son – Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 (wife Nagamma)

                                      2. Son – Subraya Irwathraya (wife Subbakka)

                                      3. Son – Sreenivasa Irwathraya -1 (died as Brahmachari)

                                      4. Son – Eeshwara (first wife – Kunhi, second wife Padmavathi)

                                      5. Son – Anantha Padmanabha alias Kuppanna

                                                              (two wives – Roopy & Puttakka)

The third son of the couple named Sreenivasa Irwathraya – 1, died at the very young age as Brahmachari, and his Pretha was believed to chastice the children of the family and prick them to make them weep & cry. In order to pacify the Pretha and avoid its Cheste, silver foil with a shape of man carved on it (called Pape) was kept in the Pooja room and worshipped.

Anantha Irwathraya-1 Bhageerathi couple got all the surviving children to undergo upanayana and got all of them married.  Narasimha Irwathraya-1, the elder brother of  Anantha Irwathraya-1, had already migrated to Bendrala from Vodeel.  His younger brother Padmanabha Irwathraya at Vodeel had no children. Hence the youngest son of the couple (Anantha Padmanabha Irwathraya alias Kuppanna) was sent  to Vodeel, who settled at Vodeel thereafter looking after the property there.

Eldest son Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1, aged about 15 years was married to Nagamma aged about 6 years. Nagamma hailed from Kathala saaru near Bajpe.  Her father Sri Sreenivasa Tantry of Bhargava Gothra was a famous Mantravaadi, Jyothishi & Purohit. (His father was Haridas Tantry, and grand father was Nasrasimha Tantry). Sreenivasa Tantry used to frequently visit many places in the east including Halekote in connection with his profession (Mantravaada). In one of such visits, he proposed marrying off of his daughter Nagamma to Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1. Bride Nagamma, the youngest daughter of Sreenivasa Tantry & Devaki, had to walk all the way from Kathala saaru to Halekote along with the Bridegroom after the marriage. It is told that after coming to Halekote on marriage to Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1, she never visited her native place. It is told that, after about a year from the marriage, her mother Devaki, accompanied by an old Brahmin, walked all the way from Kathala saaru to Halekote to see her daughter and spent one month there. She returned from Halekote having satisfied that, her daughter Nagamma need not worry for her three meals per day, which was the minimum required expectation of a girl’s parents at that time span. Thereafter Nagamma never saw her parents.  Just like her mother-in-law Bhageerathi, Nagamma was also a dynamic and able lady. Though she was illiterate, she was highly knowledgeable about the house management & life style of Brahmin families. She was very particular/specific about the concepts of Shuddha-Achara, Madi, Maile, Made, Musure etc. She was very proud of the Tantry family from which she hailed. Nagamma had two elder sisters named Puttamma & Padmavathi.  She had also one younger brother named Haridasa Tantry (also called Dasanna Tantry). Puttamma was married to Puttanna of Poyyeda Gudde (Hoige Gudde) and this couple had four children, the eldest being Ramakrishna and the youngest being Sreenivasa. Padmavathi married Venkatramana and lived at some place in Kerala. Dasanna Tantry lived at Kathala saaru pursuing his father’s profession.