A jolly good fellow with a cycle-bar moustache and an unmistakable pot belly. This was how the good king Mahabali — at the root of the Onam legend — has always been portrayed.
There are those who hold that this image of the legendary king is in tune with his position as a paternal ruler out to visit his subjects once a year. All the same there is a growing debate over the traditional portrayal of Maveli, as he is popularly referred to. This debate has spilled over to the social media where some writers have even wondered whether Maveli is given this pot-bellied man look because he was an ‘Asura’ king. Some writers took the view that Maveli’s figure must be in tune with the changing times and that the ‘Indian Santa’ look bore fidelity to a bygone era.
So it is perhaps in keeping with the tune of the times, that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to give Maveli a makeover. Straightaway Maveli becomes a young man, with curly black locks of hair. There is no trace of a paunch in Maveli 2.0 and he is presented almost as a six-packer. The luxuriant moustache has been replaced with a much thinner and modern version. There is one thing that has been retained though — Maveli’s costume. The good king still arrives in a period costume complete with a cadjan umbrella and ornaments to boot.
The reimagined Maveli is the work of the late head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore, Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma.
According to TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan, the decision of the board was also precipitated by the fact that lots of people portray Maveli in poor light and in bad taste. The board also plans to install an idol of Maveli at the Thrikkakara temple, he said.
