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| Jharkhand tribals worship during Mansa festival by piercing their bodies |
Panchparanga (Jharkhand), Aug.19 : About a hundred tribals in Jharkhand's Panchparanga area body-pierced themselves with sharp objects to please Goddess Mansa during the annual Mansa Festival.
Over 500 tribals had congregated at Tamar hamlet, 70 kilometres from Ranchi to mark the Mansa Festival held in Jharkhand and also in some parts of West Bengal on Saturday (August. 18).
The body-piercing act is part of a local ritual being followed by the tribals for ages here. It is done to look ardent devotees of the Goddess.
Many tribals believe that giving such a harsh punishment to one's body enables them to have special affection of the Goddess, who, in return, will protect them from snakebites rest of the year.
Basant Kumar Banerjee, a priest, said: "The prayer is being done to get free from snakes and the tradition is in practice for long. We all believe that if prayed with full devotion then there would not be any scare of snakes."
The ceremony was attended by hordes of people, who were chanting and dancing to the beats of drums and crowded around a village pond to bathe. It is mandatory before lining up to get one's body parts pierced.
Ajay Kumar Gupta, one of the devotees, said: "The piercing ritual is miraculous. Even after piercing a person doesn't need any medicine or doctor's help."
Though most of the people celebrate the Mansa Festival by observing fast and worshiping before Mansa, known to be the Goddess of serpents, but many tribals opt for body piercing.
Tribal men perform the body piercing while returning in a religious procession after taking the customary bath from a pool. It all ends when the procession reaches the Mansa Temple where the men with pierced bodies take out the objects and worship the Goddess.
These individuals smear normal vermillion, as an 'anti-sceptic' on the bleeding parts.
Mansa festival is marked in many parts of Jharkhand that include Ranchi, East Singum and others. In West Bengal, the areas marking the festival include Purlia, Bakura and Midnapur area beside a few other places.
On this day, women keep fast and eat only at mid-night after worshipping the Goddess Mansa.
Legend has it that Mansa was a daughter of Lord Shiva, also known for ruling the beasts and spirits, apart from being the destroyer of the evil.
These religious practices, however, are carried out under poor hygienic conditions and threaten the health of minors as well as the adults participating in it.
Despite being looked upon with discomfort by city dwellers, the body piercing or similar acts are viewed a part of centuries old tribal customs.
--- ANI
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