The Story of the Origin of the Universe

The mythical stories of the Kuruma tribes are deeply intertwined with nature.

According to their legend, the Universe came into existence from a colossal egg. The upper part of the egg became the sky, while the lower part formed the Earth. From this giant egg, the very first man on Earth was born, named Vellakkaliyappa, accompanied by his vehicle, an owl.

The sky adorned itself with stars, and the Earth was covered with an ocean. However, the owl found no place to rest, so it asked Vellakkaliyappa to create some land. Thus, land emerged from the ocean, and with it came the creation of animals and birds.

Later, Vellakkaliyappa fashioned a woman. They spent a single night together, after which Vellakkaliyappa embarked on a journey to the other side of the Universe.

Gripped with sorrow, his wife met him in a dream, and they consummated their relationship in their dream state.

Consequently, she conceived and gave birth to three sons.

These sons longed to meet their father and set out on a quest to find him. Eventually, they discovered his spirit dwelling in a river within the forest.

The Kuruma tribes of Wayanad firmly believe that they are the descendants of Vellakkaliyappa, the first man on Earth, and his sons.

Title

The Story of the Origin of the Universe

Themes

cosmogenesis | family

Emotions

longing | sorrow

Lesson

The power of dreams and familial connections transcend time and distance.

Animals

Owl

Characters

Vellakkaliyappa (First Man), Owl, Vellakkaliyappa's wife, Vellakkaliyappa's sons

Special Objects

Colossal egg, Owl, River

Back-grounds

Universe, Sky, Earth, Ocean, Forest, River

Source

Collected for TALES by Shahina KK Drawn from: William Logan. Malabar Manual. Government Press, Madras, 1887 and webpage