Chadak Puja on Pat Sankranti: Devotees perform hair-raising feats

Mail News Service

Seraikela, April 14: The history of the adventurous and thrilling tradition, popularly known as Hook Swing Festival in English and Uda Parv in the local language, has been in practice through centuries and through Vedic times. Uda Parv was celebrated on the occasion of Pat Sankranti with devotion in almost all villages of the region.

Uda festival, organized during Chadak Puja was held along with religious rituals. It may be informed that the courageous feats by devotees during this Uda festival were once banned by the British. The British rulers felt that by piercing the back of a devotee and making him swing from a high pole was a case of cruelty and thus they banned the religious event.

Later this tradition was revived with a number of changes that led to an agreement with the British government. Presently, the tradition of tying a rope around the waist along with the practice of hooking continues. Feats like pulling a bullock cart by means of a rope fastened to the back of a devotee with a hook and ropes fastened to both arms with iron forks are features of a practice known as Ranjani Phuda. Other courageous customs include lying bare-bodied on a bed of iron nails, piercing the tongue with a miniature arrow are parts of the rituals. Devotees walk bare feet on burning coal as another part of the dare-devil rituals. Like every year, this year too Chadak Puja was organized in Baba Vishwanath temple in Bhurkuli village of Seraikela where devotees performed the challenging rituals accompanied by slogans of ‘Har-Har Baba Vishwanath Mahadev.’