Notwithstanding the criticism of the age-old sacrifice custom, animals were slaughtered en-masse during the Chhatar Yatra festival during wee hours on Friday in Odisha’s Kalahandi district.
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 journey of the Goddess was marked by sacrifices of animals, mainly goats by devotees along both sides of the road as a mark of fulfillment of their wishes.
The gory ritual lasted for several hours. The yelling of felled animals reverberated the air on the streets of the township.
Tradition got the better of law with local administration shying away from intervening to end the practice. Hundreds of animals with their garlanded necks were put to gallows amid frenzied religious celebration.
With helpless yelling of animals, the streets of the district headquarter town have come alive and got drowned in the noise generated by the frantic beating of drums.
“There is nothing wrong in the practice as long as it ensures the wellbeing of the natives,” a resident argued.
The practice of en masse sacrifice of animals, according to locals, is in accordance with age-old ritual followed by worshippers of Shakti cult.
Locals are of the firm view that the Manikeswari deity continues to shield the region from the scourge of Nature’s fury. Offering animals is a token gesture of reverence towards the Goddess who in turn ensures our safety as of our lives, crop and livestock.
Elaborate security arrangements were made to maintain law and order during the annual event. The festival ended peacefully with no untoward incident reported from anywhere, said sources.
However, in an ironic twist to the bloodletting ritual, the animal sacrifice yatra culminated with people releasing doves in the air as a mark of peace.