Gajan and Charak Festival -Nature Worship through Penanc

On the days of the Bengali month of Chaitra when the weather starts heating up, it is believed that Shiva has turned away his face from the world. All his energy has got directed towards his 'tapasya' (austerities) on Kailash and because of him withholding all the generative energy, the world can no longer bear fruit. Hence, he needs to be brought back to the life of a householder, and this sets the premise for the festival of 'Gajan' in West Bengal.

Shiva Durga seated on Nandi the bull,  from the collection

of Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.

This festival is primarily a Shaivite one, but it does not find a mention in the Vedic or Puranic scriptures and is considered to be non-Brahmanical. It is generally observed by the people of the lower classes and castes of the society, mainly in the rural areas and amongst the peasants. The festivities start at least eight to ten days before the day of Chaitra Sankranti (last day of Chaitra) and continue till the 'Ashadh' month (rainy season) but pinnacles in the last three days of Chaitra. There are numerous rituals and customs that are associated with the Gajan with regional variations. This is mostly a male-centric space and the people who take part in the observation of the customs are called 'sannyasi' (mendicants) or 'bhaktya' (devotee). It is a community celebration centered around a Shiva temple. There are processions where the mendicants dress up as Shiva, Parvati and all the various accomplices of Shiva such as Nandi, Bhringi and shivgans and also paint their faces in a ritual called 'shong saja'. They go around the village dancing, reciting and singing various folk ballads and songs laced with humor and satire and receive alms. Apart from this they go through severe austerities such as fasting, walking on burning embers and 'dandikata' (prostrating and then circumambulating by turning their bodies on the ground).The idea around such beliefs is that Shiva is known to be wrathful deity who can get angry at anyone who tries to break his 'tapasya' (austerities). And thus, these sanyasis go through such arduous rituals so that they may be deemed worthy to achieve that feat and also protect themselves from his anger. (Nicholas, 2008)

A Gajan sanyasi, dressed up in body paint. Courtesy- Pritam Sarkar; IG: pritamsarkar_08

The day before Chaitra Sankranti is the day of 'Nil Pujo'. In the whole celebration of Gajan, it is the only space where women have some rites reserved for them. 'Nil Pujo' basically is another name of worshipping Shiva in the form of 'Nilkantha' and also his consort in the form of 'Nilaparameshwari' or 'Nilabati'. The lore goes that after Sati self-immolated herself during the Dakshyagya, she reappeared as a young girl in the 'bilba-ban' (wood-apple tree grove) of king Niladhwaj. The king brought her up as his own daughter and got her married to Shiva. So, this day celebrates the union of Shiva and Nilabati (Chowdhury and Sengupta, 2022). The sanyasis go around singing ballads of their union and household life while the women fast and observe brata for the welfare of their children. They break their fast after performing pujo in the evening at the Shiva temple. They carry water to the temples on pots and offer it to Shiva. Nil Pujo is also a form of worship of the goddess Sasthi (goddess of children and their protection) who is responsible for the well-being of children. In some places, Shiva is offered with khichuri and roasted Shol fish (snakehead murrel) on this day (Chowdhury and Sengupta, 2022). Village fairs are also conducted during this time.

Then comes the concluding day of the festivities on Chaitra Sankranti, also called the 'Bishub Sankranti', the day of 'Charak'. A high tree trunk is needed for the customs, which is called the 'Charak gachh'. This trunk is obtained usually from a Sal tree and used as a post for hook-swinging. The trunk is fixed vertically onto the ground after proper rituals and on top of the trunk a bamboo or wooden post is pivoted horizontally in such a way that it can rotate around that pivot. The 'sanyasis' and the 'bhaktyas' (devotee) get the muscles around their spine pierced with thick hooks which are tied to a rope, and the other end is tied to the horizontal bamboo. Another end of the bamboo also has ropes which when pulled down by other men, the hooked sanyasis get raised in the air and the post starts rotating. This hook-swinging may range from a few minutes to even an hour. This practice is said to symbolize the movement of the earth around the Sun that brings the cycle of seasons. Thus, it is considered to be the worship of the Sun god and celebrates the union of the Sun and the Earth. It can be explained by the theory of sympathetic magic, wherein by imitating the actions of nature, the people are trying to influence nature itself and bring rains in the scorching months of summer. (Basu, 2023)

A Company painting showing the Charak in Bengal, 

Watercolour, c.a. 1798-1804; from the collection of Victoria & Albert Museum, UK.

Concluding, it can be said that in the guise of worshipping Shiva, this festival acknowledges the fertility and agrarian cults. After the Spring Equinox as the days get longer, it brings the rainy season that sustains lives. The practice of Charak was declared illegal by the British in 1894 but it has still managed to exist. In some parts, the 'sanyasis' (mendicants) use thick strands of clothes to swing instead of using hooks. Nevertheless, the festival continues to exist as a testament to primitive cults of nature worship. 

References:

• Basu, R. (2023). Bangalir Lowwkik Bhabdorshon -1 Maatrikashakti O Jadubishwas. Rodela Prokashani.
• Chowdhury, D and Sengupta, P. (2022). Lokasanskritir Vishwakosh (3 rd ed.). Pustak Bipani
• Nicholas, R. (2008). Rites of Spring: Gajan in Village Bengal. DC Publishers. Retrieved from
• Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/ritesofspringgaj0000nich/page/n3/mode/2up

- Priyanka Das