Post News Network
Jeypore, May 30: The roads in Gadpadar village under the block in Koraput district acquired a tinge of red as tribal people sacrificed hundreds of animals commemorating Birapani Yatra invoking Goddess Birapani for rain forecast Saturday.
The festival, celebrated on the last Saturday on the month of Jyestha of Oriya almanac, saw a footfall of 10,000 tribal from in and around undivided Koraput district.
The festival is unique in respect as the tribal make rain forecasting by the volume of water present in three holes on Kantamali hill near the village. The festival was marked by high enthusiasm with the residents having taken a religious vow sacrificed the timid animals one after another with bloods overflowing on the roads.
According to the locals the festival had its genesis 200-years back when Ramachandra Dev was the royal of the Jeypore estate. One night he received the divine command when the goddess appeared before him in dream and asked him to celebrate the festival.
The king then called the predecessors of Ray family and asked them to make preparations for celebrating the festival.
Since then the successors of Ray family along with the members of local youth association and residents have been organising the festival year after year. The tribal are of the belief that rainfall for this year can be forecasted by worshipping the goddess.
According to the traditions after performing some rituals before the Goddess Birapani and the village deity a large procession known as ‘Lathi Yatra’ is taken out in the village. Lathi wielding devotees (these sticks are the representative form of the deities) passes through the village streets to the beats of cymbals, gongs and trumpets when devotees with a vow sacrifice hundreds of hens, sheep, rams on roads to appease the goddess. The lathi wielding devotees then scale the Kantamali hill to the main shrine of the deity.
Tribals claim while it takes over 30 minute for a normal person to climb the hill, the lathi wielding devotees scale it within 15 minute.
Women are particularly debarred to climb the hill. They even has the belief that minors will be cured of their aliment if the lathi wielding devotees step on them At the hill, rituals are performed before three large holes in the shrine and a white pigeon is pushed in alive.
The pigeon then vanishes with sounds of gongs emerging from the holes and water gushing out of it. If the water touches the surface then high rainfall is predicted and if it remains in middle then there will be medium rainfall. If it remains at the bottom then low or scant rainfall is predicted.
A priest Sadan Jani of Paraja tribal claimed that one can get rid of his disease by drinking the water having healing power. The lathi wielder returns in evening where rituals are performed before them in the Bhairabi temple. Later firecracker show and a fair is held where the tribal participate in equal measure enjoying the events.