Purusottam Thakur

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Once
in four years, Gond Adivasis travel long distances to Semargaon, a village of around 200 people in
Antagarh tehsil of (Uttar Bastar) Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.
They come from the neighbouring districts of Kondagaon and Narayanpur for a jatra
(festival) to celebrate their ancestors. The Gonds believe that even
after death, community elders continue to exist; they are worshipped as
ancestor gods and goddesses who come visiting during the jatra. I attended this festival in
March 2018. 

Known as the
Pahandi Pari Kupar Lingo Karrsad Jatra, this ‘summit of deities’ attracts an estimated 20,000 people
over three days. It celebrates Pari Kupar Lingo, the grand old man of Gond mythology.
He is the god from whom flow many of the community’s cultural and musical
legacies, which give the Gonds a sense of identity.  

“Earlier, the jatra
was held every 12 years, then every nine years, then every seven years
and now every four years,” says Bishnudev Padda, a Gond Adivasi from Khalemurbend village in
Kondagaon district, and one of the organisers of the
festival. “It had a low profile because of fewer people, but
now it is celebrated with more vigour.  Many people gather here after hearing and
reading about it,” he adds. Mobile phones and access to motorbikes and shared
taxis to reach the venue have helped spread the word and popularity of the festival.

When I ask Bishnudev about what people do at
the festival, he says, “Out of a total of 750 gotras
[clans] among the Koya [this refers to indigenous people here, but Gond, Muria
and Koya are the same Adivasi group – in Bastar, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,
respectively], around 72 gotras are here in Bastar. People from these clans
bring their Mandaku Pens [deities] with them, who meet each other here.” (The gotras  are represented by a totem – symbols of different creatures and animals like the goat, tiger, serpent and
tortoise. The Gonds worship their totem and help preserve that species).  

So who are the Pens? Keshav Sori,
a Gond activist based in Kanker town, who works with a non-governmental
organisation on livelihood issues, says, “The Pens are our forefathers. For us,
elders who are no more are not swargiya [deceased]; rather, they become Pens. We assume that they are still with us
and worship them. We also visit the Pens of friends and relatives. The Gonds
assemble with their Pens, and everyone speaks to each other and celebrates.”

It is believed that the Pens,
the ancestor gods and goddesses, dance, cry and hug each other at the jatra.
People come here to share their problems with them and they, in turn, offer solutions.
Some Adivasis offer them marigold garlands, and I was told that the Pens love
flowers – which are abundantly on sale at the jatra. 

Deosingh Kureti, a priest from
Ghotia village in Kanker district says, “We carry the anga
[deities] and offer our services to Lingo Dokra [dokra is elder, a term of
endearment used interchangeably with deo or god]. We offer him flowers, supari, laali and limboo
[betel nut, vermillion and lemons]; we also sacrifice pigs and goats [for him].”
Traditionally, people have come to the festival from faraway places, often
walking through the night, carrying angas in
wooden palanquins, along with offerings like flowers, chickens and goats. This
year, I noticed a few vehicles too on which some people had brought angas – this seems to be a new development, observes Keshav
Sori, with whom I went to the festival. 

I ask J.R. Mandavi, around 50,
and a government employee,  who has brought
his anga on a Bolero, about this. He says, “Although I come
from Ghodagaon, our
deo
is in Telawat village in
Kanker district. We used to carry this anga on our shoulders and travel
on foot, but since our family has fewer members now, it’s difficult to cover
such a long distance [around
80 kilometres]. So we sought the permission of the anga and when Anga Udum Kumari [all
angas
are related to Lingo Deo] gave us her permission, we brought her here
in this vehicle.”

Maituram Kureti from Domaharra village in Kanker district, who has brought
his anga
to the jatra
on his shoulders, tells me, “This is the place of our ancestors. We have
brought an elderly mother with us; she is a relative of Lingo Deo. Our deity visits
places where she receives invitations [to meet other deities] and invites them to meet her too.” 

Before they enter the sacred festival
space where Lingo is believed to reside, families rest under the trees. They make
rice, vegetables, chicken and other items on wood fires, and drink boiled ragi (millet)
water. Ghassu Mandavi from Koliyari
village in Kanker district is among them. He says, “We have brought Mood
Dokra, the elder brother of Lingo Deo. His younger brother and their sons and
daughters are also here. This is an old tradition and Lingo Dokra’s
family members assemble here to meet each other.” 

In the festival ground, photography
and videography are not permitted. In the recent past, Gond culture and
tradition have been misrepresented, especially through the visual medium. So
they’ve become cautious. I make sure to take photographs only outside the festival
ground.

Summit of the ancestor gods at Semargaon

سیمرگاؤں: آبائی دیوتا جہاں ایک دوسرے سے ملتے ہیں

চেমাৰগাঁৱত পিতৃ-পিতামহৰ মিলনোৎসৱ

सेमरगांव में देंवता मन के शिखर सम्मलेन

செம்மர்கானில் நடக்கும் முன்னோர் தெய்வங்களின் கூடுகை

କୂଳ ଦେବତାମାନଙ୍କ  ଶିଖର ସମ୍ମିଳନୀ

सेमारगावच्या पूर्वज देवतांचं ठाणं

সেমারগাঁওয়ে আদি-পিতামাতাদের মিলনোৎসব

Semargaon

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Summit of the ancestor gods at Semargaon

Every four years, Gond Adivasis bring their clan’s deities to a festival in Semargoan village of Chhattisgarh to make offerings to their ancestors, seek their advice and create a space for the ‘deceased’ to mingle too

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