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| BOL BOM - THE JOURNEY TO BLISS |
By:
Babu Banik |
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Pilgrimage, like most other religions, has been a very important and integral aspect of Hinduism ever since the days of the early Aryans. People from all parts and communities of India have traveled long distances across the country in search of divine bliss over millenniums and centuries. But what astonishes the observer most is the number of “holy places” designated by the religious books and scriptures of the Hindus, and the variety of rites and rituals that are practiced in each of these places. These places are scattered all over the country, right from the remotes of the Himalayas till the off-shores of the southern coasts, and host a wide range of religious practices at different points of time.
One of these places, Deogarh, a name derived from the old Sanskrit word Devagriha, meaning the abode of god, lies in the modern state of Jharkhand. The place has been hosting a very special and unique festival of north and central Indian pilgrimage since ages. It is during the months of July and August, the local span of “Shravan”, that this colorful event takes place. Locally known as “Bol Bom”, the occasion is characterized by thousands of pilgrims walking with pots full of water on their shoulders all the way from Sultangunj, a place 105 kilometers away, and bathing the holy “Shiva Linga” at Deogarh. People from all walks of life, with all possible kinds of wishes to be fulfilled, flock here during the period, and offer their homage to the lord in search of divine bliss. Wishes range from aspiration for parenthood to improvement in business, from recovery from some disease to getting the young daughter married. Again, there are pilgrims who have made it an annual habit to come to Vaidnathdhaam or Babadhaam, as Deogarh is popularly known as.
These pilgrims belong to a wide range of socio-economic classes and ages. Even women do not miss out on their share of “Punya” or bliss, and take on all the hardships with smiling faces. The crowds gather at Sultangunj, fill their pots with the holy water of the Ganga, and set off on foot with the pots hung at both ends of a stick, which they carry on their shoulders. This stick is called the “kanwar” and its carrier is called a “kanwaria”, who’ll carry it all along the 105 kilometers to reach the abode of god.
The hardship of the journey is the most important part of the whole pilgrimage. A very tight network of rules and regulations bind the whole system, and not all starters can make it till the end of the journey. The season, though towards the end of monsoon, is pretty hot in the region, and the pilgrims have to endure a torturous experience. It is to the extent that the Kanwarias cannot keep their Kanwars down on the ground once they have picked them up. While they rest on their way, they keep them hung on temporary stands erected by the volunteers. Though the normal Bol Bom allows the pilgrims to go stop and take rest on the way, the “Dak Bom” does not. In this special journey, one has to go all the way barefooted, and is not allowed to take any break on the way. And there is a very special sect of pilgrims who go all the way crawling on their knees and chests. Though this might sound like an impossible task to the observer, hundreds of people volunteer in this truly Spartan activity every year, and manage to reach their goals. Acquiring bliss, however, was never an easy task in any religion anywhere on earth.
It is basically the faith in the heart that makes it possible for these people to cross these limits of human endurance. It is this faith that works as the driving force behind all such religious feats across the world. Even in this age of hi-fi technology and hardcore commercialism, this everlasting flow of humanity in search of bliss is a truly remarkable phenomenon.
One of the most colorful religious festivals of India, Bol Bom accounts for a huge part of Indian pilgrimage. The crowds, along with those who thrive economically on the festival, form a truly heterogeneous mass, a close study of which reveals a lot many sensitivities and aesthetics of life. Hardly any work has been done on the subject, its historical and mythological references, and the human story behind it all.
Generally, most of these teams come from surrounding villages of Bihar and Jharkhand. They come and congregate at Sultangunj, fill up their pots with the holy water of the Ganga, and then, start off on their way to Deogarh.
The Bol Bom parties stop at certain junctures for rest and refreshments. These are the places where we would come across people who thrive economically on this festival. They put up shops and joints at these junctures and serve the pilgrims. But it’s not just them who do this work. There are voluntary organizations like the Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Santan Dal who do it as a charity. They provide these pilgrims with food, water and shelter absolutely free of cost. These are primarily religious organizations, and they do it to share the “punya” with the pilgrims.
The Kumbh Mela and the Ganga Sagar Mela, which happen to be the two most populous pilgrimages of India, have been chosen as subjects of study by a lot of researchers, writers and filmmakers. But the Bol Bom, which does not lag too far behind these two in terms of popularity, and is far ahead in terms of physical hardships and endurances of the pilgrims, has somehow remained neglected. Our endeavor would be focused towards bringing out the wishes and aspirations of the common people and the age-old tradition of faith that inspires these people to go for what seems impossible to an outsider.
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