Who was Mahabali’s queen? Every year, King Mahabali, the mythological ruler who is believed to have ruled Kerala once upon a time, is celebrated with pomp and pageantry during the festival of Onam. Little, however, is known about his queen.
Three women — Veena Surendran, Aishwarya Rajan and Rima Kallingal — have joined hands to revive the queen, who had been banished to the sidelines of the story of Mahabali. All three are aghast about her name never cropping up in folklore or popular imagination.
It all began when Kochi-based personal stylist and designer Veena was mulling over new motifs and designs for Onam. Her thoughts meandered to Mahabali’s reign. She tried to imagine what the women in his kingdom wore. And then she was struck by a thought. What did Mahabali’s queen wear? Did he have one? What was her name? Where did she go when Mahabali was sent to the netherworld?
The questions motivated Veena to go on a quest to learn more about the queen in Mahabali’s life.
Rima Kallingal as Vindhyavali, Mahabali’s queen, as conceptualised by Veena Surendran. | Photo Credit: Aishwarya Rajan
She delved into the epics and the Bhagavata Puranam to find out more about her. Veena found that Mahabali’s queen was Vindhyavali, a just and fair queen like her renowned husband.
Stylist Veena Surendran | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“In fact, the story goes that when Vamana, the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, appears before Mahabali and requests him for three feet of land, the King’s guru, Shukracharaya, sees through the game and advises Mahabali not to grant Vamana’s request,” says Veena. “Vindhyavali, however, persuades Mahabali to go ahead and grant Vamana what he wants so that his reputation as a generous and benevolent king would not be sullied. She was ready to face the consequences of that act of generosity.”
The missing link
Veena was amazed that though most Malayalis knew the story of Mahabali, most had no clue about his queen.
“She chooses to go to the netherworld with Mahabali. We know about her children but nothing about her parents or who she was. I wanted to celebrate her,” says Veena.
Rima Kallingal as Vindhyavali, Mahabali’s queen. | Photo Credit: Aishwariya Rajan
She shared the idea with her friend Jasmine PK, an associate film director and art director. Enthused by the idea, they decided to approach actor Rima Kallingal, who she visualised as Vindhyavali.
“Vindhyavali was not just a princess. She was a queen. I wanted someone majestic and regal and I saw Vindhyavali in Rima,” says Veena.
Rima was bowled over by the concept and suggested that Veena collaborate with Bengaluru-based photographer Aishwarya for a series of photographs on the theme of Vindhyavali. Aisography, run by Aishwarya and her husband, Viinnas Kuttery, turned Veena’s concept and ideas into a series of captivating photographs.
Viinnas Kuttery and Aishwarya Rajan | Photo Credit: Aisography
Rima was shocked that no one had spared a thought for Vindhyavali. “As an artist and as a conscious measure, I always make it a point to think about unseen perspectives. We all know Mahabali but isn’t it strange that we know almost nothing about his wife? I have always been conscious about exploring different perspectives; but, in this case, all of us seem to have internalised the story of Mahabali only. We seem to have been conditioned by the popular narrative,” says Rima.
The queen’s wardrobe
Since the queen was living in Sutala, Veena picturised a queen dressed in black silks with gold accessories.
“I knew, there had to be fire as Mahabali was conducting a yagna (ritual) and that the shoot had to be indoors. She had to be in black,” explains Veena. She prepared a mood board and a concept note. “Aishwarya grasped what I had in mind and she came up with a series of breath-taking snaps that visualised my concept,” adds Veena.
Aishwarya was also enamoured of the idea of telling the queen’s story. “I felt ashamed that as a Malayali I had never heard of Vindhyavali. With styling by Neena Kuttery’s Jaanki and makeup by Jashma, the photo session was completed in Kochi in two days,” says the photographer.
Aishwarya explains that once she and Veena were on the same page, it was easy to click the snaps. The photographs have been shared on Rima’s and Aishwarya’s Instagram accounts.
Rima has always made it a point to collaborate with artists working in different media. For the photo sequences, they shot an entire series that try to visualise the queen’s moods.
“How did she feel about living in the netherworld? Was she worried when her husband went to Kerala on his annual visit? Did she feel lonely? Or did she enjoy that one day on her own? There were many moods that we captured,” explains Rima.
She adds with a laugh that a viewer had remarked that perhaps we should ensure that Vindhyavali also visits Kerala with Mahabali during Onam. “All that we attribute to Mahabali should be attributed to her as well. Shouldn’t we be celebrating her?”
She plans to take the concept forward and choreograph it for a show in Dubai. “Every year, Mamangam (her dance company) brings out three or four new productions inspired by our history and culture. Vindhyavali’s is such an important story. I hope to immortalise her with a small dance segment.”
