Charak puja

Charak puja stands unique in the scenario of Bengali festivals; a festival dedicated strictly to penance. Charak puja is a traditional Bengali festival celebrated mainly in the rural areas. Hindus throughout Bengal celebrate the year-end or “Chaitra Sankranti”with some exciting fairs and festivals like ‘Gajan’ and ‘Charak’. Traditional Charak Mela, which includes some really miraculous spiritual acrobatics, is held across small and big towns in West Bengal.

Groups of men and women, who take up this ‘brata’ or the time bound ritual, have to go through a month long fasting from sunrise to sunset, and live strictly on a diet consisting of only fruits, and perform the daily worship in order to get the blessings of the Lord. On the day of the ‘Charak’ or the ‘Gajan’, as it is also called, what follows is a macabre yet fascinating act. Two persons are hooked at the back with iron hooks and hanged from a 10 to 15 feet high pole on two sides of the ‘chakra’ (wheel). The other devotees make the structure rotate seven times. Some devotees pierces an iron rod through their tongue. Elevated structures are made with bamboo, the height ranging from anywhere between 10 to 15 feet. After the month long penance, the devotees hurl themselves down from the high bamboo stages. The ground on which they fall is scattered with glass, thorns, knives & other devious objects. But strangely the devotees escape unhurt. The blessing of the God keeps the devotees safe from all the possible dangers and harms. The devotees also impale their body parts without feeling any pain. The festival not only reflects the blind faith but also the eagerness to accept penance on the road to achieve salvation.

Traditional Charak Mela, which includes savage and spiritual acrobatics, is held across small and big towns in West Bengal, culminating in Latu Babu-Chhatu Babur Baazar in North Kolkata (Calcutta) on the last day of the Bengali calendar year. On the day of the Charak Puja, the eve of the Bengali New Year, devotees at Latu Babu-Chhatu Babu Baazar attach themselves to giant rotating swings symbolising the different cycles of life. The fair at Tarakeshwar lasts for several days and also attracts a large number of devotees. Thousands of people who have fasted throughout the Chaitra month, offer their puja to Lord Siva on that day.

The Charak branch is believed to be a form of ‘Ardhnarishwar’ (part Shiva and part Parvati). It is considered to be a holy tree traditionally. A face mask is designed to stay on top of the Charak branch before making it stand up straight. While mostly, the mask suggests the presence of Ardhnarishwar, people of some villages assume that the mask resembles ‘Harakali’.

picture credit : google