Shared by Sri Bikash Padhan
Toki Parab in Kalahandi
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Introduction :
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Toki means a virgin girl and Parab means festival, also known as Tokimara parab. Literally meaning of Tokimara is sacrifice of a virgin girl. Mara means sacrifice Toki Parab is a festival observed by the Kondh-paraja tribe of Kalahandi and Koraput districts in the state of Odisha.The Kondh-paraja tribe live in the Jaipatna, Koksora and Thuamul RampurPanchyat Samitis, especially in the eastern part of kalahandi bounded by the Nawarangpur sub-division of Koraput district. Kalahandi was formerly known as Kondhan raij. The Kandh-paraja tribe is the offshoot of Kandh and Paraja, both belonging to the Dravidian language group. Though it is a festival observed bythe Kondh-Paraja tribe, thousands of people from other castes and communitiesof this locality also participate in the festival.
Historical Background :
In the past the Kondh-paraja tribe were to sacrifice their virgin daughter before the earth Goddess. The Kandh tribe of south eastIndia were practicing ‘Meriah’ or human sacrifice to appease their earth mothergoddess. Even the Kandh priest were sacrificing their eldest son to earthmother Goddess for the shake of their community to get good harvest, good rain,to save their men and domestic animals, from the attack of wild animals and tosave their community from cholera and small-pox etc.
In the last part of nineteenth century the Kandha were practicing meriah-human sacrifice and the Kandh-Paraja were used to practicing tokimara (femal-infanticide). Major Campbell, the agent of suppressing meriahsacrifice in Kandhisthan stopped this cruel tradition forcibly (1838 : 132).
The tradition of Meriah sacrifice was patronized by theRaja and Zamindars of Thuamool Rampur, Mahulpatna (present Jaipatna) andKarlapat in kalahandi Estate. They were arranging the meriah out of their ownprisoners and were getting financial gain as well as their own prisoners andwere getting financial gain as well as the administrative support
Suppression of Meriah is a cultural loss for Kandha andkandh-Paraja as well. So to compensate this loss they substituted buffalo forthe meriah or human sacrifice and an ewe for the female infanticide. To keeptheir ethnic culture and religious tradition the Kandhs perform the Pod-puja (literallymeaning buffalo sacrifice) in their community once in every twelve years. Thebuffalo brought for sacrifice is marked as Janipod which means the son ofJani-kandh priest. Similarly the ewe representing the eldest daughter of theKandh-Paraja priest is known as Toki. ‘Toki’ means virgin unmarried girl andmara means sacrifice. Now the Kandh-Parajas are being presented with an ewe bytheir traditional kings and Zamindars of respective areas and name it asJani-toki the daughter of the Priest.
How does toki parab takes place :
It is interesting to observe how the aura of a villagecomes for celebrating the Festival. Toki parab. This festival falls on thepreceding or the following Sunday of the Pongal or Makar Samkranti on thebright fortnight of Pausa (January). The festival continues for seven days.This festival falls in Kandh-paraja village in a peculiar manner.
During the dasahara festival; the Jani of the villageputs two pegs vertically parallel to each other on the worship ground and tiesa bamboo rope on it. It looks like the English capital letter ‘H’ standing onthe ground. When the upper ends of the pegs close up to form a shape likeEnglish letter ‘A’ on the ground, the priest proclaims that the festival willbe observed in that village. After this declaration, the village invites allthe Janis and Disaries (Priest andShamans) of the Panchura and Pali (literally meaning; the villages sharing acommon Goddess worshipped by them, usually five villages constitutes Panchuraand twelve villages constitutes Barapali) and declares the festival Tokiparabto be observed as he has got the auspicious omen of joining two pegs in theworship place of Dharnikhal.
Then the Jani informs it to the Raja of his respectiveregion. The Raja, as a reverence to the ritual offers an ewe to the jani. Alongwith it the king provides some financial assistance to the Jani for the smoothmanagement of the festival. The ewe offered by the king is known as Tokidaughter of jani. The Toki is named as Rasmuana. Fund is collected from all thevillagers to meet the expenses of the festival. As it is an agriculturalfestival, besides Kandha-Paraja, others also contribute funds for it. The Jani,the Disari and the two village headman of each Pali are invited to the Tokivillage to form a committee for the management of the festival. The invitedguests from their pali are provided with lodging and fooding. These guests arethe representatives of their respective village Goddesses. So they come withthe Chhatra the symbol of the Goddess, accompanied by a musician group.
Toki parab in context :
The festival is observed for seven days with pomp andceremony. The festival begins on Wednesday; four days prior to the fatal day ofthe sacrifice of the Toki. The distribution of rituals over the seven days isas follows :
1. Preparation and collection of leaf and wood.
2. Gurupuja
3. Tokipargha
4. Sadarpuja
5. Tokimara
6. Dhangaridola
7. Tangiulen.
Day—1
On the first day, all the men and women of the Tokivillage go to the nearest forest for collecting leaves and fire wood. On thisday collection of all necessary required things meant for the festival is madein the village by the responsible members of the committee. On this day thepriest worship the Dharamdebta—Sun God.
Day—2
The second day of the festival is known as Gurupuja. Onthis day the Priest and the shaman along with other people of the village go tothe nearby hill. The name of the hill is Gurudongar, where the Gurubudha orBudharaja the universal tribal God is seated. It is believed that all the hillsand mountains are the Gudi; the worship place of God and Goddess.
After worshipping Gurubudha they come to the seat ofDharani mata—earth mother goddess. In a large sacrificial axe called ‘Tangi’ inlocal language the Jani mounts the spirit of Dharnimata and brings the axe tothe village. This ritual is known as Tangi utara literally meaning the bringingdown of axe from seat of the Goddess. It is the symbol of the Goddess’s spiritanimated in it.
Day—3
The third day of festival is known as Tokipraba—worshipritual of Toki. On this day the Toki is bathed with turmeric water by the womenof every house. A procession of Jani and other people starts in along withvillage with music and dance. The toki is moved from door to door to getworshipped by the villagers. The community treats the Toki as the actualdaughter of the Jani. In the evening the community eats, drinks and dances withtheir local music and make merriment.
Day—4
On the fourth day the Jani and Disari of all the villages assemble in the Toki village with their respective village Goddess. They are treated as the representatives of their villages. Arrangements are made fortheir lodging and fooding by the Toki villagers. On this day the communitycleans the road and the houses of the village.
At every entrance of the village they plant two bananatrees as the sign of welcome. The sadargudi is designed with the festoons ofmangoleaf with folk art on the wallIn this night the priest and the Shaman ofthe Toki village alongwith the Priests and Shaman of other villages unite atSadargudi. Here, right from the mid-night the ritual begins with strictdiscipline. The Jani moves around the Sadargudi for four times folding hishands to Dharnimata.Also there are sacrifice of sheep/goats and a pig on the occasion.
Day—5 : The ritual performance
Fifth day is known as Tokimara day. The Toki is offered to the earth Goddesses on this day. Villagers from all sides come to Toki village in a procession with their traditional music and warfare dance. In theprocession each one has a wooden club, hand axe and big stick in his hand. Theycome with their symbolic village Goddess animated in a long bamboo stickdesigned with red clothes and peacock feathers, and also in a big nisan (alocal drum) from every village such procession come to attend the festival.When the procession enters near the gate of the village the receptionists ofthe Toki village receive them in a peculiar manner. Unless the banana treesposted on the both sides of the gate are not cut down with one axe, theprocession never enters into the village. It is a symbol of inviting them intothe festival. Thus all the parties are invited from all sides of thevillage. The procession arrives on Sunday morning. On this day the wholelocality irrespective of caste, age and sex come to the Toki village to attendthe festival. This reception does not end up until all the parties of theinvited villages arrive.
At the time of midnoon, the Jani and Disari make properarrangements to take the ‘Toki’ (deadbody of the ewe) and ‘Mutpani’ from theSadargudi of the village to the Dharnikhal. It is about two hundred meters awayfrom Sadargudi. A virgin girl from their community is invited to invited tocarry up the earthen pot taking Toki’s ‘Mutpani’. The girl is dressed with anew red saree to take part in that ritual. She takes the mutpani from Sadargudito Dharnikhal. The Jani holds up the Toki in a Jahpi-bamboo box on his headguarded around a military array of young Kandh-Parajas.
While the Jani and the girl with their respective Jhapiand earthen pot start from Sadargudi about fifty to sixty young Kandh-parajacommunity with their sword, hand axe, wooden club and sticks encircle them toprotect the Toki and Mutpani from the attack of others. They all intoxicatedwith liquor, are preoccupied with a sense of trans—. It is believed that if anyoutsider plunders away even if a single hair of the Toki by any means fromtheir array, them all the holy action and virtues made by the Toki village willbe invain. As a result of losing a hair or a piece of flesh of the Toki; theymay face the loss of harvest and rain, also many unforeseen dangers in theirvillage in forth coming years. They also believe that if any body snatches awaya flesh or a hair of the Toki from the procession and offers it to his earthgoddess will be rewarded with ample harvest in forthcoming year. So whiletaking the Toki with mutpani from the Sadargudi to Dharnikhal the youth of thetoki village try their best to save the toki from others. In spite of all thesestrict cautions taken by them, the out-siders manage to take the flesh or ahair plundering from the Jani’s Jhapi out of the procession may it be by forceby tricks. If some outsider succeeds to get the flesh or hair from the Jani,suddenly the protectors run after him with weapons to take his life. If theplunderer offers the stolen flesh to his own goddesses situated in their camp,then the attackers never do any harm to him. But if captured by them, thevictim is wounded mercilessly. Instances of putting them victim to death arealso heard. So in the festival the Government police from district Headquarters are deputed to watch over them.
Thus with great care and protection the ‘Toki’ &‘Mutpani’ are brought to Dharnikhal. Here the Linga is taken off out of theDharnikhal by the Jani and put in front of the worship place. The Lingarepresents ‘Dharam debta’ and the stone simbolizes the ‘Dharnimata’. Dharnikhalis the main worship place where one can see the symbolic images of God andGoddesses such as; a long bamboo stick designed with peacock feathers, a metalimage of peacock on the metal pillar, a sacrificial axe, some arrows and a bow,a cluster of weapons like knife, spear etc.
In the worship place, the Jani alongwith the otherpriests start the ritual. Burning a lamp before the Goddess, throwing some rice on the sacrificial pit (Dharnikhal) the Jani begins the invocation.
After praying all the Gods and the Goddesses of all the invited villagers the Jani takes off the mutpani from the pot. Holding it in his hands, kneeling down before the pit he recites some hymns and offers it tothe earth goddess. This ritual is called Tokipara. After this, the otherGoddesses of the locality are worshipped by the Jani one by one. The Janidevides the flesh of the Toki and distribute it among all the Janis of invitedvillages. The Janis of the respective villages consider themselves fortunate tohave the auspicious toki flesh and take it with reverece. After this, thegathering disburse; the Jani and his followers remain there for furtherrituals.
In the evening the Jani and the Disari worship thegoddess. The rest flesh and bones of the ewe is burried by ‘Rapia’ belongingthe ‘Dom’—a scheduled caste. The ‘rapia’ is alienated as impure and unholy forthat day. Next the Jani offers a pig to the earth goddess to purify the Rapiaand declares him as sacred. Then mix with his society again.
Day—6
The Sixth day of the festival is known as Dhangridola. Onthis day the young unmarried Kandh-paraja boys and girls have the freedom tochoose their life-partner with a socioreligious recongition in the festivalground. On this day the parents of the boys and girls have nothing to protestagainst their love marriage, as the whole community gives sanction to them. Theyouth, on this day wearing beads around his neck is expected to pull the handof his beloved young girl. This system is popularly known as ‘Malichagha’,literally means wearing of beads. It symbolizes the snatching of a girl by theboy.
This is the day giving opportunity to the youth toextend love and friendship with opposite sex. The unknown boys and girls makepermanent friendship ritually by addressing each other ‘Baligaja’ and ‘Sari’ ora Baligaja by tucking it on the right ear of the other. On this day many groupsof girls and boys with the local music, dance and sing on the group. One groupsing the love song competing to defeat the other. At this time a choir ofsingers with their Dungdunga and Dhap (two local musical instruments) sing thesong describing Gods and Goddesses, hills and mountains, rivers, villages andthe deities of their locality, which reflects their love and involvement ofnature and spirit.
In the afternoon, the young girls of this community makea lovely arrangement of receiving the guests to appease them. They invite theguests to whom they choose to be their own friend or sari. The group of girlsholding the hands of the guest, take him to the place of worship. They sit theguest on a cot; carrying the cot on their shoulders on four sides they movearound the worship place seven times. At the time all the girls sing the songthe entertain the guests. After moving around, they keep the cot in front ofthe Goddess and touch the feet of the guest one by one and make ‘Juhar’(obeisance). This ritual is called Dhangridola. Literally meaning a swinging ofthe young girls. They also collect some tips; money as a regard from theguests. The singing and dancing goes on till evening. Thus, the ritual of thesixth day ends.
Day—7
In the seventh day the Jani along with the newly marriedcouple of the previous day, leads a huge procession to the Gurudongar, the seatof Gurubudha. There they beg the blessings from Gorubudha. After coming fromGurudongar, they seat, drink and make merry by singing, dancing andmerrymaking. At night the Jani returns the sacrificial axe to the earth goddess.After it the Jani close the festival. The next day the associates of the Tokivillage bring down the festoons of mango leaves. Thus the grand festival endsafter the observation of seven days.
Myths on toki parab :
There is a myth found among this community as to why theTokiparab is observed. The myth corresponds tot he problem of bride, price andfree marriage system among the Kandh-paraja tribe. The myth is as follows :
"In a kandh-paraja village the Jani had a daughter namedRasamauna. After maturity her father proposed to give her in marriage with alad of the village name Mundradharia. The negotiation was also over. Marriagedate was fixed up. A few days remained for the marriage ceremony. MeanwhileRasmuana fell in love with Baplamada, another youngman of the same village. Asto keep his beloved daughter’s interest, the Jani cancelled the previousnegotiation made with Mundradharia and gave his daughter in marriage withBaplamada. Time passed on.
One day Rasmuana went to the nearby forest to collectfire-wood. There she saw Mundradhar is—the groom proposed for her. She, out ofpassion fell in love with him in the forest and this game of love went on.Baplamada, her actual husband new this and he went to the jani—hisfather-in-law and told every thing. He also claimed the Jani that he woulddivorce his wife for her infidelity. So he demanded the Hajra(18) bride pricewhich he had paid to his father-in-law during his marriage. He also suggestedthe Jani to hand over his daughter to Mundradharia according to her will.
So the Jani had to return the Harja—bride price takenfrom Bapalamada. Also he had to pay ‘Mandpani’ (19) fine fixed by his communityfor the divorce and the remarriage of his daughter. Again Jani fixed up a datefor his daughter’s marriage in the month a pousa. At that time the Kandh-parajawere to observe the festival of mariah. The community reported the Jani that novictim was found out for the sacrifice and asked him to arrange the sacrificeof his own for the festival. The festival arrived. No victim was found. TheJani suddenly sacrificed his own daughter Rasamuana before the Goddess. Thus itbecame a tradition that the Jani would give his own daughter for the sacrifice.Now the female infenticide has stopped, by instead of it an ewe is symbolicallypresented to the earth goddess as a substitution.
Now if we analyse the above myth is would be revealedthat marriage with social recognition is accepted where as violation of socialrules results fine and punishment by the community. The illicit love violatingthe social norms causes hatred and results in the punishment like eliminationof the defaulter.
In Kandh-paraja community, Jani, the religious head has alot of socio-religious responsibilities. Their religious belief is that thepure character and action of the Jani could save their community from theunseen dangers. The Gods and Goddesses are appeased according to the manner ofworship and action of the Jani. He propitiates them by means of his own virtueand spiritual power. He is the mediator of man and spirit. So if the purity inhis personality is deviated or some social norms are violated by him, it isbelieved that the Jani would not be able to appease the earth Goddess, or if hedoes so, the result would be harmful for the whole community. So in the myth,the Jani sacrificed his own daughter, to prove himself pure and to escape fromsuch socio-economic and psychological burden. It is a fact that, thehatred of Jani for his daughter, at the same time the need for a victim forsacrifice both the causes have doubled the problem in his mind. Individually inorder to maintain his priesthood status also as a community leader to managethe welfare of his society by propitiating the earth Goddess with a sacrifice,the Jani tried to kill two birds in one arrow by offering his own daughter tothe earth goddess in the festival.
By doing this the Jani mentally compensated the loss ofhis daughter by receiving a sanction from the community on him. He has not considered it a sin as he has got rid of two problems burying it under areligious mask. The plea by the Jani in his invocation depicts that Goddess Herself choose the victim for her sacrifice. The donor of the sacrifice bearson sin for his act.
The religious rites are meant to solve the problem of thecommunity. (1980 : 344) This may be examined from the present festival studied,the sixth day of Tokiparab, known as dhangridola the love marriage of boys andgirls with socio-reiligous recongitions and sanctions and to solves the problemof bride price. The social problem of ‘Harja’—bride price among the Kandh andthe other communities of Kalahandi is still prevailing in the society. Thebride groom pays bride price as demanded by the bride’s father. Even if a groomis unable to pay the bride price and want to marry a girl, the father of thegirl may agree to adopt the by as ‘bride service’ for a fixed period of time asto compensate the amount of bride. After the amount is collected from ‘brideservice’ the couple set free. But in some places where the bride’s fatherrefuses to accept the proposal of the boy, the marriage between the interestedboys and girls fails. This failure is only due to the poor economic conditionof the boy.
This ritual, thus, helps the loving couple getting married, who were unable to marry due to lack of providing bride price. Thisritual is known as Dhangrighicha.
Moreover, the guests and participants honoured by theyoung Kandh-paraja girls in the ritual of Dhangridola, irrespective of casteand creed shows the oneness in tribal culture shared by the non-tribals. TheRaja, the Bramhins, the village headmen and the other gentlemen are invited forthis ritual. Thus, the entertaining of the guest in this festival shows themutual sharing of culture among the tribal and non-tribals.
As this is a festival to pay reverence to the earthGoddess, also to assure more harvest in future, all the peasants of thesociety, irrespective of caste and creed take part in it. The non-tribals alsobelieve the philosophy of Kondh-Paraja and want to bury some flesh of the Tokiin their field to get ample harvest. So the influence of the tribal cultureamong the non-tribals of this locality is represented in this festival.
In this world man exploit the men exploiting the nature.But the indigenous people of this land bear the naturalistic world view. Theyhave their way of thinking, which has been symbolically represented in theirrites and rituals. The equality of man and nature keeping the balance of theearth basing on reciprocal dependence is the sole philosophy of the people of thislocality. Here no difference is seen in between the animal and nature as bothare the creature of a supernatural power Dharnimata—the earth mother Goddess.
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