Most of the people of the
village are ignorant of higher or metaphysical
aspect of Hinduism. The Vedic Gods like Vishnu,
Rudra, Varuna and Apamnapat are mere names to
the mass minds. They are symbols of aristocracy,
too busy with the complicated affairs of higher
class of people, satisfying their urge for heaven,
granting them salvation after death or a higher
life in the next birth. The proud Brahmins took
the sole agency of their worship, made them
the commodity of their trade, pleaded for ordinary
people’s welfare before them in exchange
of fees, were in charge of issuing passport
to heaven. They were the God’s specially
chosen people who would never allow others to
such the image. These Gods were too great for
the villagers and so inapproachable. They created
their own Gods.
These people cannot rise
above their daily necessities, their worldly
feelings and ambitions. If they are poor, they
desire to be rich. If they are childless, they
long for children. If they go hunting, they
wish themselves all success. Who will fulfill
their desires ? Who will redress their innumerable
grievances ? Who will help them in danger and
save them from disease and degradation ? Whom
will they approach for consultation in a complicated
situation ? Who will fill their heart with hopes
when they are disappointed ? Who will protect
them against the cruel enemy, deadly snakes
and savage beats ?
So they created certain
Gods as offspring’s of their daily necessities.
They receive attention so long as needs exist.
When needs are satisfied and everyone is above
want and disease, these Gods without hath, food
and water, drag on a miserable existence and
once disappear from the view altogether. Most
of them lead poor lives like their worshippers—the
farmers of the Indian village. The economic
condition of the village can be easily guessed
from a look at these wretched Gods. Most of
them have no temple, not even a shed against
sun and rain. They are instituted by the roadside,
on the bank of some river or Pond, under some
shady tree or in the open field. Sometimes the
heavy flood sweeps or the incessant rainfall
washes away half a dozen of these Gods. Fortunately
they are inanimate. Otherwise the scorching
sun, heavy rain, biting cold, continuous starvation
and cold neglect must have finished them up
quickly.
They may be represented
by an animal, a pot, an offering, a place of
offering, an inspired priest or seer or the
temple itself. The devotee bestows mental faculties
and miraculous powers upon them. The fetish
Gods fell far below the dignity and splendor
of the Vedic and Puranic Gods. The villagers
left no stone unturned to bring them to the
same status. Thus they become as powerful and
virtuous as the Vedic and Puranic Gods. Hundreds
and thousands of Goddesses with local names
were treated to be the manifestation of Durga.
She acquired new names as Jagulei, Hengulei,
Paneswari and Patrasuni etc. It is said that
Ramchandra having found no Saiva temple nearby,
poured a handful of sand and worshipped the
God. Henceforth this sand is being adored as
Balukeswar Mahadeb in a temple by the people
of Orissa.
Lokanath as the name indicates
is the God of the mass. He is the most dreaded
and most renowned God of Puri and other areas.
He secures men against diseases if they promise
to offer Him ripe plantains. If they forget
the promise after recovery. He dispatches a
poisonous cobra to kill a member of his family
to bring him t6o senses. He assumed all the
Puranic virtues of Siva, a popular name and
came within the easy reach of the people.
The Khonds of Phulbani,
Orissa, used to steal a boy from the low lands,
sacrificed him in the field to make their turmeric
redder. That practice no longer exists. Now
a male buffalo is sacrificed. Whoever desires,
cuts up a piece of flesh from the living animal.
Limbs vanish part by part. Thus the whole of
the sacred flesh is taken away.
In Orissa thousands of goats,
rams and fowls are sacrificed before the fetish
Gods. In a small mountain island of the lake
Chilka, goats, sheep and fowls are left behind
by people desiring the grace of Kalijai, the
goddess. It is a pitiable sight to see these
animals die of the dearth of food and water
Worship of Hot Springs
Thousands of Oriya women
taken their bath in Taptapani and Hatakeswar,
swallow up whatever they get-an arecanut, a
crab, a snail without any consideration. They
take this desperate step for procuring children.
She who hesitates becomes unsuccessful.
Worship of Earthquake
People believe that the
burden of the earth is borne by a many-hooded
snake named Vasuki. When he moves his hood,
troubled by the heavy pressure, earthquake takes
place.
Worship of Birds, Bearts,
Fish and Reptiles
The bull is worshipped as
a conveyance of Siva. Nobody kills a cobra,
for it is the favorite of the same God. Boys
and girls do not dare killing a rat, for it
is the conveyance of Ganesh, the God of learning.
‘Biccha’, a poisonous reptile is
a pet of Saraswati. To kill it, is considered
an offence. Monkeys who sided with Ramachandra
in his war with Ravana, are treated with respect
by the orthodox people. Hanuman, their leader
is worshipped as Mahabir (great hero) in many
of the Orissa villages. The young villagers
propitiate him with heroic physical fits. The
ox treated with great respect by the householder
is worshipped on the fullmoon day of Sravan.
It enjoys a work-free day. After bath it is
decorated with garlands of flowers, turmeric
and vermilion. It takes specially prepared cakes
along with the daily fodder.
Worship of dry fish is in
practice in Orissa. This festival is called
‘Kanji amla’. Seven dry fishes decorated
with red sarees and vermillion re worshipped
as seven daughters-in-law of ‘Sathi-debi’.
The kite and jackal are worshipped on the ‘Dutia-Ossa’
in the month of Aswin. The virgins construct
a statue of the cuckoo, keep it in a mango tree
after due worship and sing songs of the Spring
Season. This is peculiar to Balasore. An image
of Cobra named Pingala-naga made up of Gold,
silver, copper or rice powder is worshipped
on the ‘Naga-chauthi’- the forth
day of the bright fortnight of the month of
Kartik. A piece of anthill represents Nimija—the
wife of Pingala naga. The worship of tortoise
is in vogue in the district of Sambalpur. People
have great respect for tortoise, for Vishnu
incarnated in that form and bore the sinking
Earth on His back. The snails and oysters are
propitiated on the New Moon of the month of
Sravan. They are requested to desist from tearing
the feet of cultivators working in the field.
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