Animals slaughtered en-masse to propitiate Goddess in Odisha
The famous Chhatar Yatra of presiding deity Maa Manikeswari was taken out on the streets traversing three kilometer distance in Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters township.
The primitive Dongri Kondhs of Niyamgiri hills of Huteshi village celebrated “Maria traditional festival” with great enthusiasm and religious fervour.
The Dongrias celebrate the week long Maria festival in an interval of every five years to appease the Goddess to protect their village, produce and families. Animal sacrifice is conducted.
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Each ritual and event over the five days is well planned at a meeting held by the village priests, headman and others.
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The village priest slips away to the forest to collect a salwood peg which is fixed near the village deity (Kudi) as an auspicious symbol.
All the villagers young and old, participate in the festival and they gather near the Kudi to sacrifice the buffalo which is freed to run and the tribals chase it with sharp weapons.
The blood-stained head of the buffalo is placed on the altar and all the villagers take the meat pieces to their farm lands and sprinkle the blood and throw the piece in that land with a high expectation of good harvest and protection from natural calamities.
They also take back the pieces with a faith that their homes will remain free from all evil effects and peace will reign.
Old timers here refer to the legend that the Dongrias used to conduct a human sacrifice, a spinster to appease the Goddess in the ancient days.
But over the decades they stopped this and opted for animal sacrifice.
Dongrias well equipped with their traditional arms and draped in their customary attires enjoy by organising night long dance and music traditional events all over Niyamgiri hills in villages dotting the hill which is spread over Rayagada and Kalahandi district.
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