Odisha: ‘Chhatar Jatra’ on Mahashtami marked with plentiful animal sacrifices

In Odisha's Bhawanipatna, the Devi Mahashtami sees hundreds of goats and hens brought as sacrificial gifts to appease Maa Manikeswar during the annual ‘Chhatar Jatra’. The celebration this year fell on Friday, 11 October.

Every Mahastami, the eighth day of Durga Puja, is marked with animal sacrifice in the Kalahandi region, after the goddess' effigy is carried in procession, veiled in black and gold, crowned in red and gold, decorated with leaves and flowers.

While both local tribes and Hindus participate in the practice — which, after all, is not terribly different from neighbouring West Bengal's tradition of ritual goat sacrifice to Durga as Mahishasurmardini on Ashtami — the greatest proportion of the local population here belong to the Kandha tribes, pointing to older Adivasi roots for the tradition.

Unlike other Durga festivals elsewhere in Odisha, however, the 'Chhatar Jatra' blends tribal and non-tribal cultures in the music, and rituals, says tribal researcher Bhagaban Sahu.

Unlike in northern and western India, where meat and fish are eschewed during the Navratri festival it coincides with, the Devi Paksha celebrations of eastern India do not depend on 'sattvic' fare. Rather, the Shakta worshippers offer life itself as the greatest gift to the Goddess.

While cultural pressures and some newer-fangled concerns with animal cruelty — and possibly rising costs and the palaver around maintaining sanitation and hygiene in public slaughter — have seen a slight decline in the numbers over the passing years, local officials note the practice itself remains persistent across generations.

In recent years, apparently, the powers that be have been instructed to try and stem the bloody tide. However, "Kalahandi district magistrate Sachin Power conducted a series of meetings with senior officials, police and public representatives. There was announcement in public address system and social media to desist people from animal sacrifice. But due to age-old belief and tradition, it had no impact on devotees," the official said ruefully.

Thousands of devotees also released doves before the Chhatra to attract of fulfilment of their wishes.

According to custom, the ‘Chhatar Jatra’ symbolises Maa Manikeswari’s return from Jenakhal after the ritualistic 'secret' puja at midnight offered at the main temple.

The event starts with a secret sacrifice of a buffalo, followed by the mass animal sacrifice — which typically includes on the streets, a priest explained.

The procession, which began around 4 a.m. with the beating of drums — for the goddess must be accompanied by jena badya and ghumura badya — had covered a 3 km distance to the main temple by noon.

Upon arrival at the temple gate around noon, the procession was received by Maharaja Anant Pratap Deo, a member of the local 'royal family'. To maintain law and order, the local administration had deployed 15 platoons (each comprising 30 personnel) for crowd control, aided by volunteers — for over 3 lakh people had gathered for the occasion.

"The true display of Kandha tribal culture can be witnessed at the Chhatar Jatra. People from across the state visit Bhawanipatna town on Mahastami Day to experience the festival and immerse themselves in local culture," said Binita Mohapatra, a Bhubaneswar-based academic.

With PTI inputs