|
The people of Tripura live simple lives. Music, dance and artistic
pursuits occupy them and festivals mark the passage of time.
Many years ago, as a
child, I cam across one of the oldest thrones in India. Preparations
were on in the Ujjayanta Palace in Tripura for the marriage of the
Maharaja Kirit Bikram Manikya. Some careless attendant had left a
door to the Durbar hall unlocked and unnoticed I slipped in and,
there, standing in the centre was the strangest piece of furniture I
had ever seen. It was a circular platform raised on carved legs with
a step-ladder leading to the seat. Around its base were embedded
black stones (shaligrams). I was intrigued and could not resist
climbing up the ladder and sitting on it.
Little did I realize at
the time that I was sitting on ‘history’. If the throne had
been magic, I would have been transported back to the time of its
origin, the Mahabharat, as the legend goes. The rulers of Tripura are
of the lunar dynasty” – Chandra Vanshis – an unbroken
line of 179 kings for years of recorded history and beyond that into
the mists of myths and legends. They trace their lineage to Duryu,
the son of Emperor Yajati and Sharmishta, who was banished from his
father’s kingdom. He came to the north-east to establish
another kingdom in a little known, verdant, undulating land which
came to be called Tripura. The throne of Tripura, it is said, was a
gift from another of Yajati’s descendants – Yudhistir of
the Mahabharat.
As one flies into
Agartala, the capital of Tripura, one can see the Ujjayanta Palace
from the air. This palace was built in 1901 by Martin Burn & Co.
for Radhakishore Manikya, because the old ‘Rajbari’ had
been destroyed during an earthquake. The Maharajas of Tripura were
better known as patrons of art and culture than for their opulent
lifestyle. They were addressed as ‘Dharma avtar’
(incarnation of Dharma) and ‘Bobagra’ or ‘fa’
which means father in ‘Kokborok’, the language of the
people.
According to some, the
name Tripura is derived from the goddess, ‘Tripura Sundari.’
Her temple stands in the sub-division of Udaipur and ranks as the
second important shrine in this part of India. It was built in 1501
AD and repaired from time to time and is dedicated to Triureswari,
the mistress of three worlds. Hundreds of pilgrims flock here to
pray and ask for favours and protection. The royal family offer, to
Triura Sundari for her protection. During the first year of our lives
we were taken to the temple for our first haircut – a complete
shave! We always looked forward to a visit to ‘Ma Bari’
(mother’s house) as the temple was fondly called, for the Bhog
(offerings), Aarti (puja) and to feed the turtles and fish in the
temple pond which is teeming with them.
We loved to hear how the
ancient turtles climbed the ghat steps when their days were over, to
die peacefully in front of the Goddess. The temple kitchen served an
‘out of the world’ mutton, mixed vegetables, daal and rice
– a non-vegetarian fare, surprising to many. Sacrifice was
once a part of the temple rituals till Gobinda Manikya put a stop to
it during his reign. Tagore wrote his famous play ‘Visharjan’
based on this ancient. But I was curious to know the reason behind
this cruel practice and was told that it was to show man that he had
no power over life. Life was taken in front of the Goddess to remind
him that though he had to kill to survive all creatures belonged only
to the Creator.
Although the religion of
the majority of the tribal people is termed as Hinduism it is a
curious mixture of Hinduism and Animism. The Old Gods have not been
ousted but are worshipped along with the Hindu deities. The elements
such as water, fire, forests and earth are revered. A dual
arrangement is in vogue. The Kshatriya Chantais have for centuries
ministered to the old gods and Brahmins to the Hindu ones. One of the
most important shrines of Tripura is in Old Agartala. That of the
Chaturdas Devtas – the fourteen Gods. It was built in the middle
of the 18th century by Krishna Manikya. And according to
local legend these gods were established in Tripura by King
Trilochana a contemporary of Yudhishtir.
The Chaturdas Devtas are
heads without figures, made of an alloy of eight metals. These
deities have both tribal and hindu names. The tribal ones are kept
secret, known only to the Chantais, so they are popularly called
Hara, Uma, Hari, Ma, Bani, Kumar, Ganapati, Bidhu, Ka, Abadhi, Ganga,
Sikhi, Kama and Himadri. Throughout the year only three : Hara, Uma
and Hari are worshipped the others are kept in a wooden box to be
taken out once a year in the month of July for the ’Kharchi
puja’. This puja goes on for a week when goats and doves are
sacrificed at the altar of the gods. Guarding this temple is the
‘Bura Devta’, to whom the first offering has to be made.
He is the ancient one and his form is very primitive almost like a
child’s drawing of a stick figure man.
The people of Tripura
consist of 19 tribes who have no generic term by which their race
may be distinguished. If you ask a man of what race he is he will
give you the name of his clan, but if he is speaking in Bengali he
will use the term Tipra. Thee people live very simple lives. Most are
farmers following the shift method of cultivation. They love dancing,
and music and are very artistic. They weave their own cloth and make
ingenious bamboo articles. As a child, I remember being presented
with a bamboo gun which the hill people actually used for hunting.
Even their houses are made completely of bamboo. These houses,
called ‘tang ghar’, are built on platforms raise don bamboo
poles. One of my fondest memories has been of the night we spent in a
tang ghar. The tang ghar assigned to us was a large one; just one
central room divided into the sleeping area and hearth, it was under
a large tree raised so high above the ground that it seemed built on
the branches. Pigs, poultry and livestock were kept under the house.
First there was dancing with the audience being served a rice beer
called ‘pachak’. The feast followed with a delicious fare
of fragrant, sticky rice wrapped in plantain leaves, cooked over a
charcoal fire. With this, we were served pork with tender bamboo
shoot, fish, freshly caught from a nearby stream, another dish of
herbs and tubers found in the forest and a paste of chillies, garlic
and a special spice made of fish called ‘shidol’, to which
all Tripuris are addicted. After such a splendid meal it was lovely
to fall off to sleep lulled by sounds of the forest and the domestic
animals below.
Though the tribal society
of Tripura is a patriarchal one, the women play in important role.
Daughters are precious as a result of which a prospective groom has
to serve in the house of his would be father-in-law for three years.
If he is found suitable he is accepted, otherwise he is sent packing
with some compensation for his work to try his luck elsewhere. The
women of Tripura have played a major role in the palace and the
village – they have left their mark. They are the survivors, the
upholders of tradition.
While the women in the
palace ruled beside their husband, went to battle, aced as regents
for minor sons, the women in the hills worked beside their menfolk
as equals.
There has always been, in
the past, a special bond between the palace and the simple people of
the hills. The Reangs (one of the tribes) have preserved to this day
a relic of this bond- a stone bowl, which made them the sons of the
king. The king was Govinda Manikya and the stone bowl dates back to
the 17th century when the Reangs rose in revolt. The
rebellion was suppressed and the leaders arrested and sentenced to
death. Gobinda Manikya’s wife, Gunawati Devi intervened, stood
guarantee for their loyalty and set them free. She visited the Reans
in prison and gave them milk in the stone bowl and made them her
sons. Awed by her presence they thought her to be a celestial being
and called her ‘Mai Debta’ meaning Mother Goddess and
became her sons. Ever since Maharanis have been addressed as ‘Mai
Debta’ by all.
In Tripura, festivals seem to mark the
passing of time. Holi, the festival of colour, in the spring with its
dancing and singing ‘Gang Puja’ in March to ward off
epidemics. A bamboo hut is built in the middle of rivers for the puja
Garia Puja is in April when fowl are sacrificed for prosperity.
Autumn brings the Harvest festival – Maikatal – the
festival of new paddy. Autumn is also the for Durga Puja the worship
of Devi the destroyer of evil. December heralds the festival held in
honour of the new wine which is made from the winter crop. But the
most important festival is Kharchi Puja celebrated in July in honour
of the Chaturdas Devtas. This is followed by Kher Puja. During the
puja a special boundary is marked within which no one is allowed to
come or go for two days. The sick, aged and pregnant women are
removed to homes outside the boundary as even deaths and births are
considered inauspicious. Others within the limits are housebound and
spend their time making paper lanterns and various pastries to
celebrate the ending of the curfew when the cannon is fired from the
palace. This boundary was usually made around the town where the
Maharaja resided but over the years its limits have shrunk to the
annexe of the Ujjayanta Palace where the erstwhile Maharaja now
lives.
| 
