Presenting a very different picture of social revelry compared to boisterous Diwali celebrations where spiritual fervour gets buried amid the eardrum-shattering noise emitted by polluting firecrackers, a tribal community in Jajpur district celebrates the three-day agrarian festival Bandana Parba which begins on Diwali day. It is a profoundly pious festival celebrated to worship the divine munificence of the godly cow and the animal’s contribution in nourishing civilisation
Rashmi Rekha Das
The festival of lights is celebrated with great vigour by every Indian. It symbolises the victory of good over evil. On the holy occasion, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are worshipped. All merrymakers dress up to the nines and devotees decorate their homes with diyas, candles and fairy lights, exchange gifts and sweets. While bursting crackers is synonymous with the celebrations, it is a blend of customary rituals for the tribal community Kudumi living at the Sukinda and Danagadi blocks of Jajpur district. The community celebrates the agrarian festival called Bandana with great pomp and revelry. Sunday POST visits the tribal hamlet to chronicle their Diwali celebrations.
The tribal people celebrate the festival of lights by worshipping cattle. The three-day extravaganza which kicks off on Diwali day reflects the community’s respect and gratitude for their cattle, which assist them in agricultural operations, by honouring them. The Kudumis, during this festival, symbolically elevate their cattle to the pedestal of Gods. During the festival, the community offers prayers to bovine creatures that help them till the land and perform other agricultural chores.
On being enquired about worshipping the holy animal on Diwali, Thakur Mahanta, an elderly tribal, says: “Our forefathers first started the festival. Cows are mothers of all creatures. They are verily the mothers of the 33 crore demigods that administrate creation in material existence throughout the universe. Cows are the goddesses of the gods and the refuge of all auspiciousness. They bestow every kind of happiness and for these reasons are always worshipped. Cows are the support of the world for by their milk they nourish us and by their ghee offered in sacrifice they nourish the denizens of the celestial realm. That’s why nothing is superior to cows. The festival is celebrated in almost all Kudumi-dominated villages of the blocks. It is a mass festival. We hold this Gana Parba to protect the cows which we believe will bring prosperity and peace to the people of the village.”
“One should never show disrespect to cows in any way nor should one feel any repugnance towards the urine and dung of a cow because these things too are pure. When cows graze or lie down to relax one should never disturb or annoy them in any way. Cows should never be killed in any type of sacrifice or slaughtered in any way for food as the killing of cows constitutes the most heinous of all sins in existence,” maintains Mahanta, explaining the rituals of the three-day festival.
Day of purification
The first day of the extravaganza begins with a purification ceremony where the people take part in ceremonial ablution. Houses and courtyards are scrupulously spruced up too. On the first day of the festival, all the cows in the village are taken to Gothani, literally meaning ‘Gotha’, a common place in the village where all the cows unite in the morning before they go grazing and in the evenings before heading back to their sheds. The village head holds a fast on the eve of Gotha puja as part of ritual.
Prior to the festival, the villagers clean and decorate their houses and the Gotha. The cowshed is smeared with cowdung water. The lady of the house sprinkles water on the cattle from a pot with mango leaves, and washes their feet. The head of the family anoints the animals’ horns with oil and vermilion. Oil lamps are lit in the cowshed. The first day is devoted to cowshed puja.
‘Alpana’ or the traditional floral patterns made on the floor with ‘arua’ rice powder is seen at the entrance of the cowsheds. Agricultural implement like ploughs and yokes are cleaned and smeared with vermilion and worshipped. Later, the devotees bring their cattle to the Gothani, smear the heads of the animals with vermillion and flowers. The village priest performs a puja at the Gotha treating an egg as god. After the puja, the villagers offer a cock. The priest then places an egg before the cattle and the cattle is freed to run over the egg. The cow that tramples the egg is considered lucky and blessed. Later, a special dish called ‘Let’, made of rice, is cooked. After relishing the dish, the villagers garland the cow that had trampled the egg and its owner and take them around the village in a procession amidst singing, dancing and the beating of drums. The villagers also visit the house of the owner who serves food to guests.
Worship at cowshed
On the second day of the festival, the cowshed is cleaned, decorated in different colours and worshipped. The villagers put a paste of vermillion and oil on cow horns. Womenfolk make ‘bira’ (a stack of paddy in a ball-like shape) and tie them around the horns of the cattle. The animals are then let loose. A general fast is observed. The ladies of the village prepare various dishes meant for cows while their consorts worship Giri Gobardhan and Astagraha. The cattle are offered cakes after the puja. The inhabitants make it a point to feed the holy animals even before they take a single drop of water. The song dedicated for the festival is called Ohira which is an acknowledgement of the animal’s contribution in the day-to-day life of the community. The belief behind the festival is that animals have souls just like human being.
Reverence rules
On the concluding day, members of the community have an interesting interaction with the divine creatures. The villagers assemble at the grazing ground. Groups of villagers move around the flocks and sing and dance, to which are added the catchy tunes produced by the ringing of the ghungroos tied to the necks and legs of the cattle. The festival is the worship of cows with reverence and the devotees pray for their welfare. A prayer is offered on the concluding day known as budhi bandana.
Harihara Mundari who is excited to hold the fest is of the opinion that “many of our siblings and kin reside in other states. But they make it a point to pay a visit to their hometown on the occasion. We get new clothes for each and every family member. This is a traditional festival linked with agriculture. Since cultivation is our livelihood, cows play an important role. They work for us throughout the year. During the three-day festival, they get complete rest and are offered good food. We also worship the village deity to protect the crops and the cattle from different diseases.”
Iswar Mahanta, a fellow tribal, says: “Cattle worship is part and parcel of tribal societies. Tribal people are closely associated with nature and worship animals, hills, forests and other natural objects. Bandana Parba is one of the biggest festivals of the tribal people. For us, Diwali celebrations do not make much sense. We derive joy from celebrating the Bandana festival which starts on Diwali day. However, it is a matter of concern that the festival is fast losing its sheen with the steady decline in the number of cattle. The government should initiate steps to preserve this age-old tradition. Apart from offering prayers to the cows during the festival, we also thank the Rain God and Sun God for helping the community reap a good harvest. The fair is an added attraction.”
Harekrushna Panda, a litterateur says: “It is widely known that Lord Krishna has many transcendental names which reflect His relationship to the cows. The very word Govinda, which is a famous name of Lord Krishna, means “one who brings satisfaction to the cows”. Gopala means “the protector of the cows”, and Krishna is famous throughout India as ‘bala-gopala’, “the child who protects cows. He spends His childhood tending cows and calves while playing with His friends. His example shows the importance of cows in human society, the practical benefits of caring for them, and the advantages of an agrarian economy based on cooperation between man and cows. Lord Krishna had advised His fellow creatures to worship nature and bovine creatures for their precious contribution in sustaining human society. Since the Dwapara age, ‘Go puja’ is prevalent in our country. Tribals share a close bond with nature. They consider nature and bovine creatures as living Gods and worship the animals on Diwali with considerable
fanfare and deep devotion.”
Inputs: Harshabardhan Behera
