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Once every year, the daily celestial play of the sun
rising over the horizon gets transformed into a major religious event
witnessed by thousands of devotees on a beach close to Konark in
Orissa.
Hands reverently folded
amidst chants on hari bol! Lakhs of devotees wait in the chill
for the Sun God to arrive in a blazing chariot pulled by seven horses
in divine splendour. The moment for which they had walked miles and
spent cold sleepless hours on the beach was soon approaching. As the
earth turned a fraction of a degree eastward, the sun’s benign
rays, dispelling the darkness and the mist, consecrated the patient
gathering.
Magha Saptami (Jan-Feb)
heralds the occasion for performance of the Chandrabhaga rituals at a
beach three kilometres from Konark. The roots of this festival are
traced to a mythical tale wherein shambhu, the son of Lord Krishna,
trespassed into the chamber of his parents when they were in a state
of private bliss. Upon this, Krishna cursed his son with leprosy.
Since the punishment was too acute for such an inadvertent act by
Shambhu, Narada took pity on him and instructed him to seek a cure at
the Chandrabhaga river. The place where Shambhu is said to have
meditated and daily worshipped the sun God after ablutions in the
river for twelve years has become a sacred spot possessing curative
properties.
Today, the river is not
to be seen. What is left could be described either as a large pond or
a very small lake. Yet the faith in the cleansing powers of its
waters is unquestionable. For, on this day of Magha Saptami, hundreds
of thousands of people go through the bathing rituals. Those who do
not find space, do so in the sea which is just 100 metres away. The
ritual bathing takes place from 3 am onwards, commencing with the
thakurs (priests) and followed by the rest. After
purification, by dawn, a sea of humanity expectantly faces the Bay of
Bengal with their eyes focussed on a brighter section of the horizon.
A majority of the
believers are form Orissa. However, there are large contingents from
West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and even Madhya Pradesh. Besides these,
there are tourists who come to see the famed Sun temple at Konark.
Mendicants too are present in a big but orderly way. They sit in
single files along the road and paths that lead to the sanctum and
make sure that charity is not overlooked when on a pilgrimage. Some
prefer to sing and play devotional songs while moving amongst the
assembly.
Lending variety and
colour are numerous mobile vendors. There are toys to tempt children,
eats for the hungry and travel-worn as also amulets and other
religious mementos. The kiosks around do brisk business. For
tourists, coconut water with soft, delicious kernel is in abundance
to quench a parched throat.
There is a continuous
train of people which keep coming from the previous morning itself,
throughout they day and night till the celebrated day break. They
come from all directions in various modes of conveyance. Most take
the three kilometre walk from Konark and if the time permits, they
see the Sun Temple before proceeding to Chandrabhaga. If not, they
stop over on their way back. Along this route, groups halt to collect
firewood and to buy black earthen pots. These will be used for
cooking after the group has camped around the site for the night.
Though essentially a
religious event, entertainment is provided by dance troupes
performing jatra (folk theatre) close to the Sun Temple. These
performances go on late into the night. Not wanting to be outdone,
the restaurants around Konark blare songs from the latest Hindi films
throughout the night to attract customers. As if this is not enough,
persons are posted outside the restaurants to persuade passersby into
taking a tea break or a midnight meal. An unwary pilgrim surrendering
to compulsive hospitality is like to find himself in one of them
which he no doubt will leave without regrets to continue the onward
journey.
The Chandrabhaga mela
would not be such a success without the efficient arrangements made
by the local authorities. The heavy traffic in vehicles and people is
well regulated and directed. Areas are separately demarcated for
parking buses, cars, cycle rickshaws and two wheelers. The site of
the mela too is effectively barricaded to ensure that queues are not
broken. A public address system guides devotees while a police watch
tower has been erected to constantly survey the conclave.
After darshan
(worship), nearly 80 per cent of the people begin the journey back
home, stopping on their way for offerings at the local shrines on the
beach and the thakur bari (home of the local priest) where
ceremonies still continue. The scenario along the beach gradually
changes at this stage. Small groups, mostly family members, can be
seen gathered around pandas (priests), who perform pujas.
After etching the outline of the Jagannath temple in the sand, small
mounds of wet sand representing each family member are placed within,
along with earthen lamps and flowers. This, accompanied by the
panda’s chanting which is repeated by family members, is
intended to usher prosperity. These rites last anywhere from fifteen
to thirty minutes.
As the morning stretches,
the sands and the fisher-folk with their catamarans regain authority
on Chandrabhaga. While the wind and the caves will erase all traces
of this mammoth congregation, the celestial drama, though repeated
daily, shall remain an ordinary event until the next Magha Saptami.
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