Orissa - Art Culture Heritage @ whatisindia.com

FAIRS
A large number of festivals and fairs are celebrated in Orissa. These differ from tribe to tribe, from caste to caste and also from region to region.

Dandanata and Danda Jatra
Dandanata is derived from 'Danda' a pole and 'mata' a dance which is performed in a fair called 'Danda Jatra'. This is celebrated in the month of Vaishaka (April-May). This fair is celebrated through dance, song and physical feats and the pole represents of Lord Shiva. The devotees are called 'Bhokta' and there are thirteen in a 'Danda' party. The leader is 'Pata Bhokta' , who leads a life of abstinence for twenty-one days prior to this festival. The Bhoktas move from village to village and perform at a house only when invited. The Bhoktas roll on the hot sand in the mid-day sun of summer, dance, and sing praying for the welfare of house holder. Whether someone in the family is childless or poor or suffering from some incurable diseases, the householder usually vows to become a 'Bhokta' next time if his miseries are removed.

The austerities and physical sufferings include walking on fire, piercing the back with sharp nails, using poisonous snakes as garlands and making them sting the body, piercing the tongue or walking on a sharp sword edge etc, apart from fasting and abstinence. These are aimed in order to please and secure booms from Lord Shiva.

Variations of 'Danda Jatra" are found in almost the whole of Orissa one variation is Jhamu Jatra or Nian Patua consisting of walking on a trench of fire, and the another one is 'Uda Jatra" or Uda Patna in which the devotees are hooked from their back muscles and are swung high round a pole.

Chandan Jatra
This fair is celebrated for twenty-one days in the month of 'Jaishtha' (May-June). When a smaller replica of Lord Jagannath is taken to the sacred tank for boating after being smeared with 'chandan' or sandal wood paste. This is aimed at providing cool comfort and relief from the summer heat. This is celebrated at places where there is a Jagannath temple and a lot of merriment goes with it when pilgrims congregate. The main centre of this fair is at Puri, the celebrated 'shrikhetra'; the original seat of Lord Jagannath.

Chandrabhaga Mela
The fair at Chandrabhaga begins on the seventh day of the bright fortnight in the lunar month of Magha (January-February) and continues for seven days. It is held at the mouth of sacred Chandrabhaga river near the famous temple of Konarka. This sacred site figures in the myth of shamba of the Mahabharata days who was cured of his leprosy by worshipping Lord Surya, the Sun God. The Sun Temple of Konarka and the sacred site refer to the prevalence of a strong solar cult in the coastal Orissa. It is believed that whoever takes a bath in the Chandrabhaga will be cured of leprosy and bareness. Magh Saptami mela is observed at the same time at the Join centre of Khandagiri, near Bhubaneswer, for seven days.

Maha Shiva Ratri
Shiva Ratri is the most important festival in the annual cycle of rituals which is celebrated in the month of Phalguna (February-March.). The fair draws pilgrims from villages and towns around and devotees fast till after mid-night when the sacred lamp (Mahadeepa) is taken to the temple spire.

Dola Jatra
Beginning with the Purnima or the full moon day in the lunar month of Phalguna. The Radha and Krishna images from the Vaishnava temples begin the ritual journey to some important centres of congregation or Melana. With Holy or sprinkling of red 'abir' powder and chanting of bhajan and kirtan, the devotees come in a procession with images of Radha and Krishna carried in the Vimanas to the site of the fair. The deities pay a visit to several villages on their outing and receive homage and offerings from devotees. At the site of the fair chanting if spiritual songs and recitation of the Bhagavata and other scriptures are usually organized.

In western Orissa this ceremonially inaugurates the just use of green mango, Chaar berries, Mahul flower and paluash flower-all jungle fruits, flowers offered to deities. This is known as 'Gundithaai Parba' in western Orissa.

Rama Leela
This all -India festival is celebrated in a few important villages and towns in Orissa in the month of Chaitra (March-April). The masks of Rama, Ravana and others of the Ramayana myth are worn by characters in a dramatic re-enactment of the epic happenings. This is accompanied by music and singing and is presented in the form of folk opera. The burning of the huge effigies as practiced elsewhere in India is not prevalent in Orissa. The fair is held in honor of Lord Rama to celebrate the victory of virtue over vice Ravana.

Patua Jatra and Chandak Puja
These are allied to the Banda Jatra described for month of Vaishakha and aimed at propitiation of Lord Shiva for boons. The months of Chaitra and Vaishakha are specially sacred for Shiva worshippers or the 'lower castes' presumably derived from Buddhist society. The same physical tortures for spiritual benefit are undergone and they overlap in time and in the rituals with the variations of Dand Jatra.

FESTIVALS
Rathyatra
This spectacular chariot festival is held at the famous Jagannath temple at Puri. Rathyatra is also known as Car festival. This festival is celebrated in the month of Asadha, according to the Hindu calendar, on the second day of the lunar fortnight that falls during June-July.

Rathyatra is celebrated in honor of God Jagannath who is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu. One of the many legends goes that Indradyamana, the king of Avanti went to Puri to have darshan of Vishnu but he found that the god had disappeared. The sage Narada assured Indradyamana that Vishnu would appear to him in the temple form of 3 wooden images. When a big tree, radiant with light was seen floating in the sea, Narada told him to make 3 idols out of it and place them in a pavilion. Indrayamana got Visvakarma the architect of Gods, to build a magnificent temple to house the idols and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols on condition that he was to be left undisturbed until he finished the work. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Indrayamana went to see Vishnu at work at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the images unfinished. But a divine voice told Indrayaman to install them in the temple.

The 3 images represent the god Jagannath, his elder brother, Balabhadra and their sister, Subhdra. On the day of the festival the images are taken out in procession in three chariots to their summer temple for a week. The main chariot is 14 metres high and 10 metres square with 16 wheels. The ropes of the huge chariots are pulled by millions of devotees. In earlier times devotees would occasionally throw themselves in front of the chariot of Sri Jagananath, for it was believed that to be crushed to death under its sixteen wheels was to go straight to heaven. Since Sri Jagannath is a form of Vishnu and Sri Krishna many of the rituals observed in the Puri temple are associated with events in the life of Sri Krishna. Thus the annual car festival represents Sri Krishna's Journey from Gokul to Mathura.

Pana Samkranti
Pana Samkranti or Chhatua Samkranti is celebrated to mark the first day of the solar month. On this day a small pot with a hole at the bottom filled with 'pana' or sweet drink is hung on a basil (Tulsi) plant. The falling of water from the pot symbolizes the falling of rain and thus this Samkranti marks the commencement of rainy season and of the cultivation cycle. The people of coastal Orissa ceremonially consume the flour of horse gram (chhatua) after offering it to the basil plant.

Akshaya Trutiya
This festival is celebrated on the third day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Vaishakha. This important festival is held in every farming household. It is characterized by the ceremonial sowing of paddy in the field. Oblation is offered to the goddess of destiny, 'Shathi'. This is the most auspicious day to start the construction of house buildings, digging of tanks and wells. This is the day on which the construction of the chariots for Ratha Jatra of Lord Jagannath and his brother and sister starts.

Rajaparab
Raja is one of the most popular festivals of Orissa, though it is not observed in western Orissa. The first day of the Raja festival is always celebrated in the last day of the solar month of Jaishtha. The festival continues for three days. It is believed that the Earth goddess had started to menstruate on the first day of the Raja and after the third day she is taken to a ritual bath and returned to normalcy. So this is called as the menstruation period of the earth, so the earth is to be avoided like a woman. Therefore men and women avoid touching the earth. Practically for three days there is a complete stoppage of work and especially boys and girls take to the swing and sing the typical Raja songs. Singing, merry-making, feasting and display of gymnastic feats and playing games become the most important preoccupations for this three days. On the fourth day, when the earth is ritually clean and is ready for fertilization, the ceremonial ploughing is undertaken in the paddy fields.

Chitau Amavasya
This is celebrated on the new moon day of the lunar month of Shravana. A special type of rice cake called 'chitau' is offered to Lord Jagannath at the temple. This cake is prepared and eaten with relish in almost every household. Gendeisuni, the goddess of snails and oysters is duly worshipped. These creatures are offered cakes and requested not to bruise the feet of farmers when they go to remove weeds from the fields.

Nabanna
A widely practiced custom among the tribal as well as non-tribal population of Orissa is the offering of the first fruits to the deities, especially to the village deities. Paddy is the most important crop which is considered as Goddess Lakshmi. There is a special variety of early paddy which is already ripe by this time. A porridge made of new rice is offered to the ancestral spirits and to the local deities.

Gahma Purnami
This festival is celebrated as a merry festival of 'Gahma Pumei', on the full moon day of the lunar month of Shravana and is especially auspicious to agriculturists. On this day, cattle, especially plough cattle, are colourfully decorated and given special offering and are worshipped as 'Go-Lakshmi'. That is the day of rest for the cattle. This festival has much attraction for some tribal groups like the Hill Bhuiyan of Orissa that in these lean months of semi-starvations.

References:

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