Mahabali (
IAST mahabali,
Malayalam ??????;
devanagari ??????) A benevolent
Asura King, and the grandson of
Prahlada. The festival of
Onam is celebrated in honor of this mighty king.
The king was from the line of Diti, a deity in the Rigveda. Bali is the descendant of this line. The real name of Bali is Indrasena.[1]
Bali was born of Devamba to Veerochana, the son of Prahlada. He grew up under the tutelage of his grandfather who instilled in him a sense of righteousness and Bhakti. Bali succeeded his grandfather to become king of the Asuras. There was peace and prosperity everywhere during his reign. He expanded his kingdom and usurped the heaven. The vanquished Devas then complained to their protector Vishnu, who assured them that he himself would restore the authority of Devas. Bali, at the behest of his Guru Sukracharya decided to conduct the Ashwamedha Yagam. During the Yagam, Vishnu, in the guise of a small Brahmin boy (Vamana), appeared before Bali and asked for three paces of land. Bali, who had vowed not to refuse anyone, promptly granted the wish, even ignoring the warnings of his guru. Vamana measured all the worlds and the sky with two paces. Then, Bali offered himself for the third pace and was thus banished to the Patala. However, impressed by Bali's unselfish devotion and unwavering "dharma", Vishnu granted him the permission to visit his subjects once every year.
Folk song about Maveli says "Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam, manushyarellarum onnu pole". The song says that all people where equal when Maveli ruled meaning that there was no caste system in Kerala when Maveli ruled.
