Dharmathakur puja

A real confluence of the non-Aryan and the Aryan religious thoughts is seen in the induction of the worship of Manasa now fully adopted throughout the district of Bankura. The potters of the two villages Sonamukhi and Panchmura turn out thousands of Mansachali and Mansa or the snake goddess.  The story of Chand Saudagar, which has been mentioned elsewhere, is very well-known throughout Bankura district.The adoption of the worship of Dharmaraj by the Hindu is also another impact of non-Aryan influence Dharmaraj may be represented by a small mound of earth or by a triangular or a round or egg-shaped piece of stone or an image of tortoise.  Peoplecongregate in thousands at the different dharmasthans in Bankura district for the worship of Dharmaraj to whom promises (manat) are either made or on the fulfillment of the wish puja is offered.Dharmaraj receives sacrifices of goats, fowls and pigeons. Earthen his (priests) of Dharmaraj or Dharma Thakur mostly comes from the Dom community, an untouchable schedule caste. At some villages Brahmin priests are also engaged to worship Dharmaraj or Dharma Thakur. One of the most famous representations of Dharmaraj is in a temple at Sankharipara of Bishnupur town.It is said that this deity which is nothing but a round stone with two metallic eyes was set up about eleven hundred years before. The Dharmaraj here is also known as Buro Dharma. The Dom Purohits of Dharmaraj or Dharma Thakur are known as Dharma Pandits. The village Mainapur about 14-mile south-east of Bishnupur, a subdivisional headquarters of Bankura, is a typical example of non-Aryan religious beliefs cult of the Aryans.This is a village where Brahminism has little hold.  The predominant element of the population comes from the Scheduled Castes. Yatra Siddhi Dharma Thakur is the presiding deity and there is a small tank known as Hakanda Dighi, the water of which is taken to be as pure as the water of the river Ganga.There are any number of smaller Dharma Thakurs known by different names such as Bankura Roy, Khudi Roy, Sital Narayan, and Chand Roy. Either earthen tortoises or stone pieces represent all these Dharma Thakurs. At one time they were all separately worshipped but now all these smaller deities are collected in the temple of Yatra Siddhi Dharma Raj.

Dharmathakur’s Gajan is different from Shiva’s Gajan. The depiction of a horse is crucial in Dharma gajan, but not in Shiva’s gajan. The worshippers of Dharmathakur are called ‘Bhakta’ or ‘Bhaktia’. It is also believed that this Gajan celebrates the marriage of Dharmaraj with ‘Mukti’.

                                                           Picture credit: google

In the rituals of Dharma Gajan, the chief follower or Bhakta is pierced with arrows which are burnt using ghee or kerosene and lies down on the flaming ‘Baneswar’, depicting the lord of arrows. The other Bhaktas carry him around and some dance around it holding flaming arrows. During the Gajan’s main event, there is a dual representation of Dharmathakur’s wedding. The Bhaktas carry a heavy stone Baneshwar as well as a wooden Baneshwar. The women meanwhile carry a full pot or a ‘pura kalsi’ taken out from the nearest pond. Meanwhile, there are rituals performed in the temple which mark the ‘milan’ of Dharmaraj and Mukti. 

It is widely known that the Hindu gods and goddesses have individual ‘vahanas’, i.e. they rode the animals. Dharmathakur’s vahana is believed to be a horse. Contradictory to that belief, elephant is supposed to be the vahana of Dharmathakur. The terracotta and wodden horses are quite popular in the Rarh region of West Bengal because of the festivity surrounding ‘Dharma Gajan’.