Bandna

This article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for events. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Not to be confused with the Bandana. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (March 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Bandna is a traditional festival of the Kurmi caste^[1] and Kudmali speaking-castes in the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha. It is celebrated annually during the Amavashya of Kartik month.^[2][3]

Bandna is a celebration of the paddy seeds that are sown by the region's agrarian communities. This festival is celebrated by the Hindu cultivator caste like Bagal, Rajuar, Kumhar, Kurmi (Kudmi/Kudumi) and Kurmali-speaking caste of East India. It is one of many Indian festivals during which cattle are worshiped.^[4]

Ritual[]

Bandna is a seven-day festival: the first three days are Chumaan; the fourth day is Goth Puja; the fifth day is Goriyaa Puja; the sixth day is Borod Khuntaan; and the seventh day is Budhi Bandna. The rituals of the first three days sometimes extend up to five days prior to Goth Puja.

Myth[]

When Lord Shiva (Burha Baba) created men, he provided them with food. In due course, they multiplied into a sizable population. Shiva advised them to produce their own food by cultivating the land. However, without agricultural implements and technology, farmers had many problems. They beseeched the lord for a solution. Shiva took pity on them and provided them with cattle. Initially, the relationship between the men and the cattle was cordial, but over time, it worsened and the cattle were abused. The cattle complained to Shiva. The complaint encompassed strenuous work, extended work hours, inadequate food, unhygienic shelters, beatings, lack of recreation and ingratitude towards their contribution. The lord assured them that he would inspect secretly on the night of Kartik Amavasya.

Incidentally, the men came to know about the complaints, and as a result, they became alert. The people cleaned their houses and cowsheds, and on the day of Amavasya, the cattle were properly washed while their horns and forehead were smeared with oil and vermilion. The cattle were provided with fodder and the Gohal (cowshed) was illuminated with Diyas (earthen lamps).

Bundles of grass were put along with Diyas on both sides of the entrance of the cowshed. Sohrai grass was placed on the roof to signify the availability of food for the cattle. On the second day, Shiva found the people worshiping Garaiya with special offerings, including a sacrifice made in their honor. On the third day, he observed that the cattle were in a merry mood, dancing with the people. The songs and the music filled the air with warmth, enthusiasm and harmony. On his way back, he found the Bagals/Dhangars (contractual shepherds) playing with the cattle at the gochar (grazing land). This made the complaint invalid. The next season, the cattle complained again about hardships, prompting Shiva to inspect them on the same day. The lord made a secret visit, finding the cattle happy and content. Since then, the tradition continued and is annually celebrated as Bandna Parab.^[5]

See also[]

• Sohrai

References[]

Further reading[]

• Kumar, Shaktipada. "Tracing the Cultural Tradition of Jangalmahal through Bandna Parab and Jawa-Karam Parab" (PDF). Retrieved 15 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Behera, Dr. Lipika (2017). "Major Festivals of Mayurbhanj" (PDF). The Researchers' International Research Journal. 3: 37–38. ISSN 2455-1503 – via The Researchers.
• General, India Office of the Registrar (1967). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications.
• The Bandna Festival of Midnapore. Man in India. Vol. 37. Anthropological survey of India.