Sarna (place)

Sarna is a place of worship for tribal people in the Chotanagpur region of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. ^{[1] [2] [3]} It is a sacred grove, where village-dwellers gather to perform rituals in their local festivals. ^[4] Here, people worship the deities: Jaher Budhi, Sing Bonga, Buru Bonga, among others.

Ritual

Sarna is a sacred grove of Sal trees, also called Sarai in Chotanagpur. It is a remnant forest in the village, where spirits are thought to reside. ^[5] According to traditional belief, Sarna is the residing place of gaon khut (village deity), the village founder. Each year people gather to offer sacrifices to the Sun, the deity, and their ancestors to ensure a good harvest and safety. The village priest in Chotanagpur is known as Pahan, sometimes called Laya. Pahan and his assistant Pujar sacrifice animals, especially goats. Cooked meat is eaten with tapan (liquor). ^[4] The ritual of Sarhul festival takes place in Sarna. ^{[6] [7]}

Several indigenous peoples, including Santals, follow a separate religious code for Sarna as Sarnaism as they believe it differs from Hinduism. ^{[8] [9]} Santals call their sacred groves Jaher and village priest Naike. ^{[10] [11]}

See also

• Jaherthan

References

1. Jewitt, Sarah (31 July 2019). Environment, Knowledge and Gender: Local Development in India's Jharkhand. Routledge. ISBN   978-1351729895 . Retrieved 4 October 2022.
2. Manish Ranjan (2022). JHARKHAND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 2021. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   9789354883002.
3. "बख्तर साय मुंडल सिंह के बताए राह पर चलें". bhaskar. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
4. "सरहुल पर अनूठी परंपरा... झारखंड के इस गांव में खौलते तेल में हाथ डालकर बनाए जाते हैं पकवान". jagran. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
5. Sanjay Nath (2015). "Pages from the Old Records: A Note on 'The "Kols" of Chota-Nagpore' by E.T. Dalton". academia.edu: 34. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
6. "All You Need to Know About the Festival Celebrated in Jharkhand". news18. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
7. "झारखंड में मनाया जा रहा है प्रकृति का पर्व सरहुल, झूम रहे हैं लोग". zeenews. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
8. "Explained: What Is The Sarna Religious Code And What Are Its Followers Demanding?". outlook india. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
9. "ST panel for independent religion status to Sarna". The Times of India. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
10. Schulte-Droesch, Lea (2018). Making place through ritual : land, environment and region among the Santal of Central India. De Gruyter. p. 187. ISBN   978-3-11-053973-8. OCLC   1054397811.
11. Hembrom, Timotheas (1996). The Santals : anthropological-theological reflections on Santali & biblical creation traditions (1 ed.). Calcutta: Punthi Pustak. p. 41. ISBN   81-86791-00-0. OCLC   35742627.

External links

• Khan, Md Amin; Monika. "The role of "Sarna" in forest conservation and wildfire prevention: An indigenous tribal religion of India". The London School of Economics .