The house I visited today had a small area allocated to the Brahma Rakshas. While I had heard of it, I wasn’t really sure of what a Brahma Rakshas was. But this little raised platform surrounded by a thick grove fascinated me. The place around it was somehow atmospheric. It wore a desolate but well-kept appearance, like a place that people didn’t go to unless it was necessary. Google told me that a Brahma Rakshas is usually found in old houses belonging to Namboodiris or Kerala Brahmins. It is supposed to hold the demonic spirit of a Brahmin who has turned rogue in his afterlife because he failed to be a good human being during his time on earth.
I remembered that this house used to be a “naalukettu,” traditional houses that had a courtyard in the middle. It could have belonged to a Namboodiri family. Perhaps, there was a family member who did not lead an honest life. We will never know. The Brahma Rakshas stands silent hugging the past close.
