Gajan (festival)

Last updated
Gajan
Celebration during Gajan 1.jpg
Gajan festival at the village Narna of Howrah
Also calledShiva Gajon
Observed by Hindus and Tribal people of East India
TypeCultural
Significancemarriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and Harakali
Celebrationsopen air drama
Beginslast week of Choitro
FrequencyAnnually
Related to Lord Shiva

Gajan or Shiva gajon is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of Choitro continuing till the end of the Bengali year. It ends with Charak Puja on the last day of Chaitra, the last month in the Bengali Hindu calendar. The next day is Poila Baishakh,the first day of Bengali New Year. Participants of this festival is known as Sannyasi or Bhakta. Persons of any gender can be a participant. The complete history of the festival is not known. The central theme of this festival is deriving satisfaction through non-sexual pain, devotion and sacrifice. [ citation needed ]This Gajan festival is one of the ancient festivals of West Bengal. The festival is seen in parts of Malda, Murshidabad, a few parts in Nadia and large parts of Burdwan. The gajan of Shrikhand village in Burdwan is famous as the gajan of Bhootanathar but actually it is the gajan of Baba Dugdha Kumar Shiva. This gajan was launched by Shri Chiranjeev and Sulochan Anad among the Vaishnava Parshad gajans.

Contents

Etymology

The word gajan in Bengali comes from the word garjan or roar that sannyasis (hermits) emit during the festivities. [1] Alternatively, the word gajan is considered a combination of parts of two words - ga is from the word gram meaning village and jan is from the word janasadharan meaning folk. In this sense gajan is a festival of village folk. [2]

Significance

The Gajan festival is for bringing fertility back in the spring. The rituals can be performed by any person who performs austerities to gain eligibility to make offerings to the deities. [3]

Shiva Gajan

The Gajan of Shiva takes place in Chaitra (April-May), the last month of the Bengali year.

In Shiva's gajan Shiva is married to Harakali on this day. The sannyasis form the barjatri (bridegroom's party). In Dharma's gajan Dharmathakur is married to Kamini-Kamakhya in Bankura Dist.or Mukti. [1] The most recent studies on the gajan festival are: 1) Nicholas, R. Rites of Spring. Gājan in Village Bengal. New Delhi: Chronicle Books, 2008; and 2) Ferrari, F.M. Guilty Males and Proud Females. Negotiating Genders in a Bengali Festival. Calcutta and London: Seagull, 2010.

Dharma Gajan

The Gajan of Dharma takes place in Baisakha (May-June), the first month of the Bengali year. [3]

Common elements

The Shiva and Dharma Gajan have three common aspects.

  1. renouncing worldly life during the ritual
  2. undertaking physical ordeals
  3. making offerings to Surya

Fairs

Charak festival in Kolkata in 1849 Charak festival.jpg
Charak festival in Kolkata in 1849

Fairs are often associated with the celebration of gajan.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of West Bengal</span> Overview of musical genres in Indian state of West Bengal

The music of West Bengal includes multiple indigenous musical genres such as Baul, Ramprasadi, Bishnupuri Classical, Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Dwijendrageeti, Prabhat Samgiita, Agamani-Vijaya, Patua Sangeet, Gambhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, Bengali Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardhaman</span> Metropolis in West Bengal, India

Bardhaman, officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, has remained in use since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangal-Kāvya</span> Group of Bengali Hindu religious texts

Mangal-Kāvya is a group of Bengali religious texts, composed more or less between 13th and 18th centuries, notably consisting of narratives of indigenous deities of rural Bengal in the social scenario of the Middle Ages. The Mangal-Kāvyas usually give prominence to a particular deity amalgamated with a Vedic or Hindu mythological god and the narratives are usually written in the form of verses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahulara Ancient Temple</span> Temple in India

Bahulara Ancient Temple is located in Bahulara village in the Onda II village panchayat, in the Onda CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is 5 km (3.1 mi) from Ondagram railway station and 25 km (16 mi) from Bishnupur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charak Puja</span> Hindu folk festival

Charak Puja or Pachamara Mela is part of the Hindu folk festival of Gajan, held in honor of the deity Shiva or Dharmathakur. The Gajan festival includes numerous forms of austerities like walking on hot coals or piercing the body with metal rods; Charak refers to the practice of hook-swinging which generally is the last penance performed during the festival.

Culture of Birbhum refers to the culture of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharmathakur</span> Hindu deity of death and justice

Dharmaraj is a Hindu deity of death and justice, worshipped by villagers in the traditional Rarh region in the present day Indian state of West Bengal as one of their special village gods. He is represented by a shapeless stone daubed with vermillion and is normally placed under a tree or placed in the open, but sometimes enshrined in a temple. The worship takes place in the months of Baisakh, Jaistha and Asarh on the day of full moon and sometimes on the last day of Bhadro. Dharmaraj is worshipped mainly by the Bauri, Bagdi, Hari, Dom etc. castes.

Masagram is a village in Ajhapur gram panchayat of Jamalpur CD block in Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navaratri</span> Hindu festival to honour goddess Durga

Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratris. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris or "Secret Navaratris" as well, one starting on the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Ashadha Month.

The religious festivals of the Kashmiri Pandits have Rigvedic roots. Some festivals of Kashmiri Pandits are unique to Kashmir. Some Kashmiri Pandit festivals are Herath (Shivaratri), Navreh, Zyeath-Atham, Huri-Atham, Zarmae-Satam (Janmashtami), Dussehra, Diwali, Pan, Gaad Batt, Khetsimavas (Yakshamavasya), Kava Punim, Mitra Punim, Tiky Tsoram, Gengah Atham, Tila Atham, Vyetha Truvah, and Anta Tsodah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danda Nata</span> Dance festival in Odisha, India

Danda Naata or Danda Jatra is one of the most important traditional dance festivals organized in different parts of South Odisha and particularly in the Ganjam District, the heartland of ancient Kalinga Empire. The Danda Naata festival is being held in the month of Chaitra of every year. As per Ram Prasad Tripathy's article, it is an ancient festival of the Kalinga kingdom and still alive in and around the ancient Kalinga capital Sampa or Samapa i.e modern day Jaugada of Ganjam district. The Participants of Danda are called Danduas and they pray Goddesses Kali and Shiva during this 13-, 18- or 21-day Danda period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pana Sankranti</span> Odia new year

Pana Sankranti,, also known as Maha Bishuba Sankranti, is the traditional new year day festival of Odia people in Odisha, India. The festival occurs in the solar Odia calendar on the first day of the traditional solar month of Meṣa, hence equivalent lunar month Baisakha. This falls on the Purnimanta system of the Indian Hindu calendar. It therefore falls on 13/14 April every year on the Gregorian calendar.

The Dharmamangal is an important subgenre of mangalkavya, with narratives of local deities of rural Bengal, the most significant genre of medieval Bengali literature. The texts belonging to this subgenre eulogize Dharmathakur, a folk deity worshipped in the Rarh region of Bengal. According to tradition, the earliest poet of Dharmamangal was Mayura Bhatta. The Dharmamangal texts were meant for singing during the twelve-day ritual ceremony, known as Gajan. These texts are part of a larger group of texts associated with the worship of Dharma. In addition to the Dharmamangal texts, this larger group includes a number of works known as the Dharmapurans, which narrate the story of creation and the liturgical works known as the Samjatpaddhatis.

Monteswar is a village situated in Manteswar CD block in Kalna subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:

Kurmun is a village in Burdwan I CD block in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barshul</span> Village in West Bengal, India

Barsul is a village in Burdwan II CD block in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purba Bardhaman district</span> District in West Bengal, India

Purba Bardhaman district is in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its headquarters is in Bardhaman. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after the division of the previous Bardhaman district. Great revolutionary Rash Behari Bose was born in village Subaldaha in the district of Purba Bardhaman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts of West Bengal</span> Cultural heritage of West Bengal

The Indian state West Bengal has a rich cultural heritage. Due to the reign of many different rulers in the past, arts and crafts in West Bengal underwent many changes giving an artistic diversity today in the forms of traditional handicrafts, terracotta, painting and carving, dances and music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folk Music Festivals in Bangladesh</span>

Folk music is one of the genres of music in Bangladesh. It is mainly Bengali's own music. This music talks about the lives of the people of rural Bengal, happiness, and sorrow. There are many parts to it again. It highlights the culture of a country or any region of the country.

References

  1. 1 2 Mitra, Dr. Amalendu, Rarher Sanskriti O Dharmathakur, First published 1972, 2001 edition, pp. 165-169, Subarnarekha, 73 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata
  2. Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, p. 67, Prakash Bhaban
  3. 1 2 Nicholas, Ralph W. (2008). Rites of Spring: Gā̄jan in Village Bengal. Chronicle Books. p. 2. ISBN   978-81-8028-035-1.

Further reading