10
18 Orissa Review October - 2010 Sonepur is known for the Samadhi Pitha of Bhima Bhoi at Khaliapali village. It was great feeling when I was told it is the same location where Bhima Bhoi spent his last days. I will always cherish that experience. Bhima Bhoi was a much loved folk poet whose soulful verses are still sung by many including the gifted and popular Odia singers, who drew inspiration from Bhima Bhoi¶s poetry. His poems are to simply teach the love of God and the prophet without becoming enmeshed in theological debate. Such verses written in the local Odia language were a bridge to the masses who were not learned in Sanskrit, the language of the elite. Like Varanasi and Bhubaneswar, Sonepur is known for its temples. It is also known for the river Mahanadi, its water and boat. It is recognized for fish, for Matha, Bali Jatra of Sonepur Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat for Malli flower and handloom textile. Everybody has been shedding crocodile tears for the heritage locations in Odisha. Despite all the hype and hoopla by the Government over the development of heritage sites and tourism spots, most popular destinations of Odisha are gradually losing popularity. Temple town Sonepur is such a place. The declined trend is more likely associated with the intrinsic problems like poor infrastructure, marketing, bad condition of connecting roads and inability to gauge the need of tourists. An old man of Sonepur once told me something that disturbed me deeply, ³Even the local people are not showing any concern to protect their heritage. Architectural treasures in Sonepur get vandalized. It is due to the greed of man, who without valuing his own rich heritage and without caring for future generations is busy in destroying his own heritage and tradition.´ Sonepur is situated on the confluence of two rivers namely the Mahanadi and the Tel. It is the headquarter town of Sonepur district, created in 1993. It is situated about 279 kilometers away from the state capital Bhubaneswar via Nayagarh and about 310 kilometers via Redhakhol. Sambalpur is about 80 kilometers, Bolangir is 50 kilometers and Boudh is 50 kilometers away from Sonepur. It is on the National Highway No 224. Remember the Sonepur palace. The ruins form the background for the traditional Bali Jatra. Here, history repeats itself every year with barua, with dhulia, with old audience, with new faces. One may find persons who do not believe in supernatural power. But, one cannot ignore the fact that, a µbelief system¶ on power superior to human being has always played a vital role in society¶s survival and growth since time immemorial. One finds some visual ritual performances in Sonepur through which the idea or message of this power superior to human being is spread to others. During my research work an old lady said, ³I wish for my children to visit Sonepur on this occasion and be a part of this tradition. The idea behind my desire is very simple. It is as simple as to bring back my children to the path of spirituality and repose their faith in religious beliefs´. Sonepur has been the land of Shakti worship since time immemorial. Bali Jatra is an annual festival of Sonepur related to Shakti worship. It is

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Page 1: Bali Yatra-Sonepur, Orissa

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Orissa Review

October - 2010

Sonepur is known for theSamadhi Pitha of Bhima Bhoiat Khaliapali village. It wasgreat feeling when I was told itis the same location whereBhima Bhoi spent his last days.I will always cherish thatexperience. Bhima Bhoi was amuch loved folk poet whosesoulful verses are still sung bymany including the gifted andpopular Odia singers, whodrew inspiration from BhimaBhoi s poetry. His poems areto simply teach the love of Godand the prophet withoutbecoming enmeshed intheological debate. Such verseswritten in the local Odialanguage were a bridge to themasses who were not learnedin Sanskrit, the language of theelite.

Like Varanasi andBhubaneswar, Sonepur isknown for its temples. It is alsoknown for the river Mahanadi,its water and boat . It isrecognized for fish, for Matha,

Bali Jatra ofSonepur

Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat

for Malli flower and handloomtextile. Everybody has beenshedding crocodile tears for theheritage locations in Odisha.Despite all the hype and hooplaby the Government over thedevelopment of heritage sitesand tourism spots, most populardestinations of Odisha aregradually losing popularity.Temple town Sonepur is sucha place. The declined trend ismore likely associated with theintrinsic problems like poorinfrastructure, marketing, badcondition of connecting roadsand inability to gauge the needof tourists. An old man ofSonepur once told mesomething that disturbed medeeply, Even the local peopleare not showing any concern toprotect their heritage.Architectural treasures inSonepur get vandalized. It isdue to the greed of man, whowithout valuing his own richheritage and without caring forfuture generations is busy indestroying his own heritage andtradition.

Sonepur is situated onthe confluence of two riversnamely the Mahanadi and theTel. It is the headquarter townof Sonepur district, created in1993. It is situated about 279kilometers away from the statecapital Bhubaneswar viaNayagarh and about 310kilometers via Redhakhol.

Sambalpur is about 80kilometers, Bolangir is 50kilometers and Boudh is 50kilometers away from Sonepur.It is on the National HighwayNo 224. Remember theSonepur palace. The ruins formthe background for thetraditional Bali Jatra. Here,history repeats itself every yearwith barua, with dhulia, with oldaudience, with new faces.

One may find personswho do not believe insupernatural power. But, onecannot ignore the fact that, abelief system on power

superior to human being hasalways played a vital role insociety s survival and growthsince time immemorial. Onefinds some visual ritualperformances in Sonepurthrough which the idea ormessage of this power superiorto human being is spread toothers. During my researchwork an old lady said, I wishfor my children to visit Sonepuron this occasion and be a partof this tradition. The ideabehind my desire is very simple.It is as simple as to bring backmy children to the path ofspirituality and repose their faithin religious beliefs .

Sonepur has been theland of Shakti worship sincetime immemorial. Bali Jatra isan annual festival of Sonepurrelated to Shakti worship. It is

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celebrated in the Hindu monthof Aswina (September-October) from Amavasya Tithior Mahalaya (New moon day)to Purnami Tithi (Full moonday). It continues for 16 days.It is a folk religious festivalwhere variousnitisare properlyplanned and prescribed fordifferent Tithis (days). On thisoccasion, the Barua representsthe deity to whom the peopleworship. He moves fromtemple to temple and fromplace to place dancingvigorously with the beating ofDhol, Nisan and Ghant.

The literary meaning ofJatra is travelling. Differentdeities leave their templesduring Bali Jatra and makejourney to various places to beworshipped by the people asper the prevailing tradition. Thisis the reason that this festival iscalled Jatra. Our subsequentanalysis reveals the fact that,Bali or animal sacrifice is theessential part of this ritual.Hence, this festival is known asBali Jatra. Bali meanssacrifice, which is as old ashuman race. The essence ofsacrifice emerges from thebelief that, the sacrifice bringsgain to the sacrificers and theircommunity. What is sacrificedlosses itself by being slain. Theloss of the sacrificed victim issomehow seen as bringing gainto the sacrificers. Every year,

common people believe it aproud privilege to be linked withthis significant traditional eventof Sonepur. Nowadays, thisyearly Bali Jatra has not onlyestablished itself as an acceptedfolk festival in its native land butalso known as one of theappealing and attractivefestivals in the neighbouringareas including Sambalpur,Bolangir and Boudh.

Bali Jatra is repletewith stories of persons whosework has created andestablished Bali Jatra as aninstitution and furthered thegrowth and popularity of thisJatra. It is said that Bali Jatrastarted in Sonepur during thereign of Raja Madan GopalSingh Deo (1635-1660), whowas the first Chauhan Raja ofSonepur. He received Sonepuras his Bhai-Bhaga i.e. shares.Accordingly, Sonepur wascreated as a separate kingdom.

When Madan Gopal leftSambalpur for Sonepur, hebrought with him Pata-Khanda, Dola-Khanda,P a t a - M a h e s w a r i ,Bhubaneswari and BahutaChhatra and initiated BaliJatra in Samaleswari,Khambeswari and Sureswaritemples of Sonepur. But as perthe oral tradition, humansacrifice was prevalent duringBali Jatra in olden days. Thisreminds us the Meriah sacrificeof Kandhas of this area.

Prior to Chauhan rulein Sonepur, this area was underthe Bhanja of Baudh. Therewere tribal chiefs of Kandhaorigin in Sonepur region.Sambalpur Raja Balaram Dev(1605-1630) defeated the kingSiddha Bhanja of Baudh. As aresult, Bhanja surrendered theSonepur region, which wasannexed to Sambalpurkingdom. Subsequently, his

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second grand-son Madangopalwas made the Chief of thisnewly acquired territory ofSonepur (Senapati andMahanti, 1971: 62; Sahu, 1985:14). In view of this, it may besuggested that, Bali Jatra wasprevalent even earlier.However, Madan Gopal wasthe first Raja of Sonepur wherehe established a new chain ofChauhan dynasty.

It is pertinent tomention that worship ofKhambeswari is believed to bethe earliest form of Saktiworship in West Odisha. It isprevalent since fourth century.It is difficult to ascertain theexact time of worship ofKhambeswari in Sonepur,which is considered to be anearliest seat of Khambeswari.Nevertheless, according to the

noted historian B. C.Majumdar, the wife of RajaRajsingh Deo had initiated thisfestival in Sonepur. RajaRajsingh Deo had married theprincess of Khemendi. Thenewly married wife of the kinghad brought with her thewooden image ofKhambeswari and started theworship of the deity in Sonepur.Subsequently, Raja RajsinghDeo had constructed thepresent Khambeswari templein honour of the deity.

As it has been notedabove, these three SaktiPithas are the main centres ofBali Jatra in Sonepur. Role ofBrahmin priest during BaliJatra is insignificant andunimportant. On the otherhand, function and meaning ofnon-Brahmin priests in this

Jatra is noteworthy and worthmentioning. Jatra begins fromSamaleswari temple on thenight of Amabasya i.e. newmoon day in the Hindu monthof Aswina (September-October). The deity ascendthrough two non-Brahminhuman beings i.e. ThanapatiBarua Dangua and KeuntBarua.

The traditional musicalinstrument namely Dhol playsan important role. It is theBharni-Par which is played atthe time of ascending the deitythrough the Barua. The ritualcontinues amidst the highsounding beat ofDhol, Muhuriand Ghanta. The literarymeaning of Bharni is pouringor transferring. Barua is theperson who holds the deity inhis body. The Barua becomesBali after the deity appears inhis body. Barua is often knownto be in a trance, a state ofspiritual bliss attained throughmusic and dancing. In otherwords, the deity or the unseencelestial power is transferred tothe body of Barua. Here themeaning of Bharni-Par lies. Itcauses to flow the divine powerto the human body of theBarua. In other words, thedeity ascends through him.When the deity appears in thebody of Barua, at that time heloses his sense and actsaccording to the direction of the

Khambeswari Temple

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unseen force. Here he isaddressed as Maa. Peopleworship him (deity in the bodyof the Barua), ask him variousquestions to solve theirproblems and the deity repliesthem accordingly. It is said thatBali can foretell the past,present and future of thedevotees on prayer.

The Brahmin priesthands over the Kala-BautiChhatar to the Keunt Barua,who carries it and leaves thetemple. Thereafter, ThanapatiBarua leaves the temple. It isbelieved that, if at that time theThanapati Barua pulls theChhatra carried by the KeuntBarua then the death of KeuntBarua is imminent. Suchsituation also indicates thatSonepur has to face a lot oftragedies and misfortunes thatyear. When the Keunt Baruaarrives at the palace, the deityleaves his body. ThanapatiBarua sits near the Budharajatemple situated in front of theSonepur palace. Samaleswariascends him. One or two Buka(he-goat) are offered to thedeity (Barua). In other words,the ritual of animal sacrifice isperformed there and the bloodis offered to him (deity). It ismost surprising to see that theBali drinks the fresh blood ofthe Buka i.e. he-goat just afterits sacrifice. After that, theBarua returns to Samaleswari

temple and the deity leaves hisbody at the twin poles (JudaKhamba) near the temple.

It is not out of place tomention that, the neighbouringdistricts of Boudh and Phulbaniare Kandha dominated areas.Before 1993 i.e. the year ofpartition, Boudh and Phulbaniwere under one districtadministration namedKandhamal i.e. the highland ofKandhas. Kandha peopleworship a deity called ChhatarBauti. She is portrayed as aterrified deity of Kandhasociety. If incited and provoked,she is supposed to be the causeof death in the Kandhacommunity. Use of Kala(Black)-Bauti Chhatar andDhala (White) Chhatar duringBali Jatra points out that, BaliJatra is influenced by the tribalculture and tradition in Sonepur.

After the Amabasyaritual, Bali Jatra of Pratipada(first day), Dwitiya Tithi(second day) and Trutiya Tithi(third day) is called Nisa-Bali,because it is performed at mid-night. Nisha implies mid-night.In these three days,Samaleswari ascends thebody of the Barua and visitsthe palace to be worshippedand returns thereafter at mid-night. At this time, a lot of curdis poured over the head of theBarua, who is found in the stateof ecstasy.

Chaturthi Tithi is asignificant day ofBali Jatra. Onthis day, the Barua collectssacred soil from the Khaul-Gad, situated near Sureswaritemple. This niti is calledKhaul-Phita. This Khaul-Gadis located under a tree near thepond of the temple. At night,animal is sacrificed here. Thisis known as Khaul-Bali. It is aGupta-Niti of Bali Jatra inSonepur. It is performed insecret and very confidentially.General public are not allowedto witness this ritual. Only thenon-Brahmin priest calledKhambeswaria Purohit andKhaul-Phita Dangua arepresent on the spot when thisniti is performed. When theKhaul-Phita Danguacompletes the ritual, he shoutsthree times. Hearing his shout,his wife sacrifices a Boda (he-goat) in her house at once. It isbelieved that, any deviation inthis ritual might cause death ofthe Barua. However, Baruacollects the soil in three earthenKundi and takes to Sureswaritemple. In the temple hebecomes senseless and thedeity leaves his body. Thenanimals are sacrificed andKundi-Puja is performed. Itmay be noted here that this soilis used during next year s BaliJatra.

As it has beenmentioned above, rituals are

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performed at Khaul-Gad.Animals are sacrificed there.Blood sacrifice is the integralpart of this ritual. The literarymeaning of Gad is hole. Khaul-Gad represents female sexorgan. As Linga representsLord Siva in its uniconic formin various Saiva PithasKhaul-Gad represents Sakti atthis place. In other words,Sakti in this form is worshippedat Khaul-Gad. It is pertinent tomention that, in Sindhekela ofTitilagarh sub-division and inKhariar the deity Duarseni isworshipped in such form i.e.hole. Similarly, in Jena-Khalduring Chhatar Jatra ofBhawanipatna Manikeswari isworshipped in this form. So, itmay be said that, in some partsof West Odisha Sakti worshipin the form of Yoni worship isprevalent.

There are numerousmyths and legends associatedwith Khaul-Gad. Sonepur isviewed as the land ofParasuram. The Khaul-Gadunder study is supposed to bethe Entudisala i.e. birth placeof Parasuram. It is also saidthat, Parasuram killed hismother Renuka on theinstruction of his father. Lateron, he repented a lot andperformed a Yajna. Khaul-Gad is understood to be thatYajna-Kunda. There is a stoneimage of Abalokiteswara near

the Khaul-Gad. People identifyand recognize it withParasuram. It is also believedthat, Parasuram raised his waragainst the Kshatriyas becausethey became very unkind andcruel. He fought 21 times andannihilated the Kshatriyas fromthe earth. Thereafter, he threwall his Pothi in the Khaul-Gad.As per the other oral narrative,Parasuram performed aYajna here and on his mother sinstruction he installedSureswari Devi here. So also,this is famous as Renuka-Pitha.

The ritual ofPanchamiTithi is important in the sensethat it is known as Ghoda-Panchami. Previously,Sonepur Raja used to performpuja in his Ghoda-sala,because horse was not only animportant war instrument butalso an imperial mode oftransport. So, for the safety aswell as growth of this wealth,Sonepur Raja used to offerritual to the deity on thisoccasion. As per the tradition,the Barua leaves Samaleswaritemple and visits the palace atnight. After the ritual of animalsacrifice, the deity i.e. theBarua returns to the temple.The ritual of Sasthi Tithi is alsovery significant when the Baruagoes to the palace at night andthe ritual of animal sacrifice isperformed. Sodasa Puja

begins on Saptami Tithi.Earlier, Bhubaneswari andBana-Durga were alsopropitiated by Sonepur Raja.Consequently, as per thetradition the ritual of animalsacrifice is performed at thepalace before Bhubaneswariand Bana-Durga at night ofSaptami Tithi.

Rituals of Astami Tithiare imperative. The ritual ofanimal sacrifice is performed inthe temples of Asta-Chandi(Sureswari, Narayani,Bhagavati, Samaleswari,Khambeswari, Ramachandi,Dasamati and Bimalakshi) ofSonepur. Also, the ritual ofanimal sacrifice is performed atChari-Nala (Sashi-SenaTikra, Rana-Rahu Tikra, Hul-Bhita Tikra and Sulia Tikra),Chari-Khala or Gada(Manei-Gad, Danei-Gad,Mahi-Gad and Kanhei-Gad),Chari-Bata (KhambeswariBata, Kulipada Bata ,Budharaja Bata and SamaleiBata) and Chari-Ghata (RajGhat, Gouri Ghat, KadambGhat and Samalei Ghat) ofSonepur. Sonepur Raja used toperform the ritual of animalsacrifice in these places for thesafety of Sonepur.

Rituals of NavamiTithi are also very important.Mahakali Devi spends this daywith Samaleswari Devi in

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Samaleswari temple andreturns thereafter. Bali Jatra ofthis night is known as Maha-Bali or Khambeswari Bali.Khambeswari temple is themain attraction of this ritual. Atnight, Khambeswari Deviascends the Barua. The ritualof animal sacrifice is performedand then the deity (Barua) visitsthe town. At the door of almostevery household, the ownergreets and washes the feet ofthe deity and offer puja, evenanimal sacrifice. Then the deityreturns to her temple where theBarua loses his sense and thedeity leaves his body. Aftersometime, the deity ascends theBarua again and the ritual ofanimal sacrifice is performed.There from, the deity goes tothe temple of Sureswari wherethe ritual of animal sacrifice isperformed. Then the deity goes

to Samaleswari temple wherealso the ritual of animal sacrificeis performed. From there, thedeity goes to the palace whereher feet are washed at Bali-Chaunra and the ritual ofanimal sacrifice is performed.Then the Barua returns toSamaleswari temple where hebecomes senseless and thedeity leaves the body of theBarua or Dangua.

On Dasami Tithi,Dasahara Bali is organized inthe temple of Samaleswari.This is known as MaidhaniaBali because it is performed inthe noon. On this day also,Barua visits the palace with thetwo Kala-Chhatras. Finalritual is performed on AswinaPurnima i.e. on the full moonday. At night, Puni Baliotherwise known asJaunli Bali

or Nisha Bali is organized.Mahakali is worshipped on thisoccasion. As per the tradition,the deity i.e. the Barua visits thepalace where Podh or MahisiBali i.e. buffalo sacrifice wasonce prevalent.

Once upon a time, theGauntia i.e. the headman ofthe village Sakma and his familymembers were performing therole of Barua on the occasionof Bali Jatra in Sonepur. Atthat time, he was greeted in theSamaleswari temple and takento the palace with a grandprocession. Traditionally, theywere also enjoying free landsof the village Sakma. However,time has changed. People haverecorded the religious propertyin their names. The people ofSakma are also reluctant toperform the role of Barua now-a-days.

In this context Dr. P.K. Chaulia, former Collector ofSonepur once told me that,when he was the Collector ofSonepur in 2005 the traditionalBaruas of Sonepur did notwant to perform the role ofBaruas on the ground that, theydid not want to drink the bloodof animals anymore. So, theywere reluctant to act as Baruas.It clearly shows the sign ofchange from inside.

However, in course oftime, the management of the

Samaleswari Temple

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temples in Sonepur is takenover by the EndowmentCommissioner. Limited fundsprovided by the Government onthis occasion are not sufficientto meet the expenditure of sucha grand festival. There is nodenying the fact that, today it issimply difficult to organize BaliJatra in Sonepur without publicsupport and their patronage.

Barua is an importantcharacter of Bali Jatra inSonepur. His most impressivefeat is perhaps his balancingact. Besides being the hero ofBali Jatra, he is also the mouth-piece of the deity. Herepresents the deity. In otherwords, Barua symbolizes thedeity. So, Barua though maleby sex is addressed as Maawhen the deity appears in hisbody. Thus, different deities inthe human form known asBarua or Kalisi come out ofthe temple once in a year andtravel to different places likeSonepur palace and temples ofother deities where certainrituals are performed. Notably,Chhatars are also carried withBaruas. Thereafter, the deitiesin the appearance of Baruareturn to their respectivetemples. The literary meaning ofJatra is travelling. For thisreason, this annual festival iscalled Bali Jatra.

Once, Buddhismspread in this area. The Queen

of Sonepur Lakshmikarapropounded Sahaja-Yana andpopularized this stream ofBuddhism in this area duringninth century. She is regardedas one of the traditional 84Siddhas of India. Subsequently,during the Hindu revivalmovement Saivism withSaktism flourished in medievalperiod. Perhaps, TantricBuddhism and Tantric Saivismwith Saktism have influencedthe activities of Baruas of BaliJatra of Sonepur. Means i.e.Sadhana of doing this arecalled Tantras. Bypronouncing the right formulai.e. Mantra in the correctmanner or by drawing thecorrect magical symbol i.e.Yantra, one may force the deityor superior power to appear inhis body.

It appears that, theBarua ofBali Jatra hypnotizeshimself. It appears to be amagical mysticism. For some,this is a higher form of Yoga,when the Barua is completelyanaesthetized. It is believedthat, Bharni Paar of Dhol anddevotional songs with a tantricovertone in Malashree Rag onthis occasion takes the Baruafrom a state of consciousnessto the state of meditation andfinally that of Samadhi. Herelies the meaning of the wordBharni Paar of Dhol. Bharni

Paar is a specific beat of Dhol

(drum) which pours or transfersthe deity into the human bodyi.e. Barua. The chorus createsa breathtaking and thrillingsensation among the devoteeswho congregate from differentareas. But it had generated asense of fear in me.

It is interesting how theelite of the society mock andscorn the Bali Jatra tradition,because it does not fall insidetheir acceptance parameters.This is not to eulogize andpraise Bali Jatra as the bestform of ritual dance. Or evento criticize that, it is a cruel andheartless form of ritual practice.This is to say that, Bali Jatra isas good as a ritual danceincorporated with thetraditional ideas of Tantra,Mantra and Yantra when theBarua does not feel any painand physical exhaustion duringhis performance.

Hundreds of peopleassemble near the Sureswari,Khambeswari andSamaleswari temples and nearthe Sonepur palace on differentevents of Bali Jatra andwitness this rich folk festival ofSonepur. In fact, the entireSonepur feels the vibration ofBali Jatra right from thebeginning of Aswina. Notably,Sureswari is the reigning deityof Sonepur and Samaleswariis the presiding deity ofSambalpur. Khambeswari is

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the most popular deity ofneighbouring Kalahandi, Boudhand Phulbani. Theirparticipation in Bali Jatraindicates that since long, BaliJatra has not only entertainedthe people of these areas butalso acted as an emotional bondof unity among them. It is aninstrument of social harmony ina bigger and larger society. BaliJatra creates an environmentby facilitating people of all casteand tribe to develop emotionalattachment. It creates a greaterplace to work and foster bettersocial awareness.

It is said that, onceupon a time human sacrificewas prevalent during BaliJatra. As per the tradition,when the ex-state was underthe tribal rulers human blood

was offered to the deity. Everyyear, the Barua was sacrificedduring Bali Jatra. It reminds usthe famous Meriah sacrifice along time ago prevalent amongthe Kandhas of neighbouringareas. As per the Meriahcustom, the Kandhas neversacrificed a Kandha. They usedto kidnap a non-Kandha boyfrom the plains. The boy livedin the Kandha village as a veryhonoured guest. He used to getplenty of wine, whatever foodhe wanted and even had thecompany of any Kandha girl hedesired. Naturally, he did nottry to run away from the place.On the day of the sacrifice heis so drunk that he is completelyanaesthetized. Portions of hisbody could be cut awaywithout feeling any pain.

Time has changed. Indue course of time, severe formof blood sacrifice i.e. humansacrifice has been stopped andanimal sacrifice has beenreplaced. It is believed that thistransformation has come duringthe British Raj when thepractice of Meriah sacrifice i.e.human sacrifice was ruthlesslysuppressed and curbed by JohnCampbell during December1837 and January 1842 in theadjacent Boudh-Kondhmalareas. In order to expedite thesuppression of human sacrifice,the Governor General inCouncil also decided toestablish a cohesive agencyincluding all Kandha areasunder an agent direct lyresponsible to the CentralGovernment. It was known asMeriah Agency which wasestablished in July 1845.Captain S. C. Macpherson wasthe first Agent for the MeriahAgency, who took over thecharges in December 1845.

As mentioned earlier,the traditional Baruas of BaliJatra have also expressed theirdissatisfaction over this bloodyritual. Even once a group ofactivists campaigned againstanimal sacrifice during BaliJatra. These people believethat, many people are mutespectators to this bleeding ritualpractice. They think that, eventhe social organizations and

Sureswari Temple

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Government agencies workingagainst such rituals do not seemto bother. So, consciouscitizens should take up this issue.But wait, let us stop here andthink. In every Sakti Pitha it ishappening in the month ofAswina and Chaitra. Thishappens every day simplybecause these innocentcreatures are not claiming theirright to live. They do not havevoice and strength to do so.

Let us, however, notwonder who is innocent andwho is guilty, for the lawprofesses to be doing thatalready. Let us not pronounceBali Jatra as a sick traditionbecause it makes little senseand brings us no closer to anyconcrete conclusion at the endof it. What we want to say ishow naked this tradition is infront of us. It is truthfully a realshow, a reality show for themasses. We cannot help it,simply because it is an essentialingredient of human nature and,we believe, at least in this case,that we are human. We arephysically superior to theseanimals and they are helplesseven to save their lives. Minusthis part of animal sacrifice,every thing seems to be all right.

During my research tripto Sonepur on the occasion ofBali Jatra one Pasrawali toldme, Festival is for celebrations,not only spiritually but also

materially. It is the time to enjoythings and acquire things. Thereis no denying that, the intensityof celebration is unparallelledparticularly during Bali Jatra inSonepur. What you are talkingabout commercialization isabsolutely correct. But, it is nota new phenomenon; it wasthere earlier too. We cannot saythat, this is only the age ofcommercialization . Yes, such

event always and certainlybrings me an opportunity toearn more .

One of the greatdisasters of post independentIndia has been the absence ofroyal patronage to Bali Jatra.However, there is no denyingthe fact that, common peopleextend their patronage andsupport this festival once a year.Unquestionably, the inheritance

of celebrating Bali Jatra andmaking this festival morepopular are the sacredresponsibilities of the generalpeople of Sonepur at large.Bali Jatra is organized underthe guidance of the DistrictAdministration. The number ofanimal sacrifice has beenreduced to a great extent.Common people have left nostone unturned to achieve thisfeat. They have been devotingthemselves to keep this centurylong tradition alive.

It is pertinent tomention that, Sonepur is atemple town just likeBhubaneswar, the capital cityof Odisha. TheKosalanandam Kavya, awork of seventeenth centurydeclares Sonepur as anotherVaranasi with its numerous

Mahabali Jatra

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sacred shrines of Siva andParbati. Regrettably, the spiritof heritage tourism has notreached to Sonepur till date.Sonepur is finding it tough tolure travellers partly due toaccommodation problem.However, if you want to takeyour family on a holiday, pleasespend some time whiletravelling in this place.

The author is thankfulto Bhagirathi Nepak, whom hemet during his field study in1989. At that time, he inspiredthe author to write a paper inEnglish on Bali Jatra. Heawakened the author, get ridof the view if any that you are aflourishing scholar andsuccessful writer because ofyour talents and skills. You aresuccessful despite yourself, forthe reason that everyone and

everything around you havecontributed positively ornegatively for your success.Since you are in Sonepur, writean English paper on Bali Jatrafor outsiders. Just before hissad demise, the author got anopportunity to work inSonepur. It helped him toimprove his knowledge onBaliJatra. Today, BhagirathiNepak is no more to read thispaper. However, it is a tributeto that great soul.

References :Barik, Sarmistha (2009), Bali Jatraof Sonepur , Odisha Review, Vol.LXVI, No.2, September, pp 160-162.

Pasayat, C. (1998), Tribe, Caste andFolk Culture, Jaipur : RawatPublications.

Pasayat, C. (2006), Sonpurara BaliJatra (in Oriya), Souvenir, SubarnaUtsav-2006, Subarnapur: DistrictCouncil of Culture, pp.71-76.

Pasayat, C. (2008), Bali Jatra (inOriya), Souvenir, Lok-Mahotsav-2008, Sambalpur: District Councilof Culture.

Sahu, N. K. (1985), Veer SurendraSai , Department of Culture,Government of Odisha.

Senapati, N. and B. Mahanti (1971),Sambalpur District Gazetteer,Cuttack: Orissa Government Press.

Senapati, N. and N. K. Sahu (1968),Bolangir District Gazetteer,Cuttack: Orissa Government Press.

Senapati, N. and D. C. Kuanr(1983), Boudh-Khondmals DistrictGazetteer, Cuttack: OrissaGovernment Press.

Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat resides at152, Vijay Vihar, Nuagaon Road, P.O:Sishupalgarh, Bhubaneswar,Odisha, 751002. E-mail :[email protected]