Tulunadu celebrates ‘Kural Parba’ amid Ganesh Chaturthi festivities

Tulunadu celebrates ‘Kural Parba’ amid Ganesh Chaturthi festivities

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sept. 14, 2026: Amid the celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi, Tulunadu is witnessing the vibrant observance of ‘Kural Parba’, also known as ‘Thene Habba’, a unique tradition deeply rooted in the region’s agricultural culture.

As part of the festival, freshly harvested paddy ears are offered to the deity and later tied to homes, daivasthanas and agricultural implements as a prayer for a good harvest, prosperity and well-being of the family.

The festival has been observed for generations in villages, magane and seeme areas, and temples across Tulunadu, with rituals varying according to local customs.

One of the main elements of Kural Parba (Thene Habba) is the ‘Kural’, which is traditionally prepared using paddy ears along with jackfruit leaves, mango leaves, ittevu leaves and fibres of the daddalu tree. The Kural is first taken to the shrine of the village’s presiding deity, where special prayers are offered.

After the temple rituals, the blessed paddy ears are brought home and tied to the house, daivasthana and agricultural implements. The ritual symbolises prayers for a prosperous agricultural season, a bountiful harvest and happiness and prosperity in the family.

The paddy ears brought from the temple are first placed near the Tulasi katte, where the family offers prayers. Paddy ears grown in the family’s own fields are also added. The family then goes around the Tulasi katte three times before bringing the new paddy into the house while chanting “Poli, Poli.”

At the chaavadi (central hall) of the house, a banana leaf is placed on a wooden chair. Paddy ears, mango leaves, jackfruit leaves, ittevu leaves and daddalu fibre are arranged on it and worshipped. Families pray for a successful agricultural season, a plentiful harvest and happiness and prosperity in the year ahead.

Feast of new rice

Another important feature of Kural Parba (Thene Habba) is the new rice feast. Rice prepared from the newly harvested paddy is served along with a variety of traditional vegetable dishes and payasa. The food is first offered to the deity as naivedya and is then shared as prasada among family members.

Thus, Kural Parba (Thene Habba) is not merely a religious ritual but also a celebration of the new harvest, farmers’ hard work and the agrarian way of life.

The festival brings together worship, the new harvest, the efforts of farmers and hopes for family prosperity in a single tradition. By offering the freshly harvested paddy to the deity and bringing it home, the ritual conveys the collective wish that the new crop will bring abundance and prosperity to people’s lives.

Kural Parba, or Thene Habba, therefore continues to hold a special place in the agricultural and folk culture of Tulunadu.