Chaturdasha Temple, Agartala –
Festivals
The
Kharchi Puja is an amalgamation of Hindu and Kokborok customs. It is the famous
festival celebrated in Tripura. The festival involves the worship
of the fourteen gods forming the dynasty
deity of the Tripuri people. Kharchi puja is performed
after 15 days of Ama Pechi. According to Tripuri legends, Ama Pechi is the
Menstruation of the mother goddess, or Earth mother, and the soil is neither
ploughed nor dug anywhere during this time. Among Tripuri people menstruation is
considered unholy and all significant functions by
women are prohibited.
The
Earth is therefore considered unclean after the menstruation of the earth
mother during Ama Pechi. The Kharchi puja is performed to wash out the
Post-Menstrual uncleanliness of the Earth mother's Menstruation. It's a
week-long royal Puja which falls in the month of July
on the eighth day of the new moon and attracts thousands of people. This
festival is celebrated at Agartala (Puran Agartala) in the temple premises of
Fourteen gods. There are many legends associated
with this Puja.
The
celebrations extend until a week and are held in the temple premises
which are attended by thousands of people. The word Kharchi is derived from the
word Khya which means Earth. Kharchi Puja is basically done to worship the
earth. All of rituals are of tribal origin, which includes worshipping
fourteen gods and Mother Earth. The Puja is performed to
wash out the sins and
to clean the post-menstrual phase of Mother Earth's menstruation. Thus, the
Puja is performed for seven consecutive days.
On the
day of the Puja, the fourteen gods are carried to river Saidra
by the members of Chantai. The person who performs the worship of these deities
in the temple is called Chantai or head priest among the Tripuri priests. The
gods are bathed in the holy water and are brought back to the
temple. They are again placed in the temple by performing Puja, offering of
Flowers and Vermillion. Animal sacrifice is
also an important part of this festival and includes sacrificing of Goats and
Pigeons. People offer sweets and the sacrificial meat
to god.
Both
tribal and non-tribal people join together and celebrate the festival in a
festive mood by becoming a part of it. A large fair and cultural programs are
organized during this time. The puja held for seven consecutive days during the
month of Asada in June to July is the only period when devotees can get a
darshan of the gods and goddesses. Other than this there is no Chaturdasha
temple timing when darshans are allowed.
No comments:
Post a Comment