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Nectar of the Moon: Worshiping Khandoba in Jejuri, India
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11450 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1994 |
2,293 Words |
| Author
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Rajesh Vora
Rajesh Vora is a freelance writer and photographer based in
Mumbai. |
As the first rays of the sun appear, a golden brilliance envelops Jejuri, a small, secluded Indian town 150 miles east of Bombay. Thousands of pilgrims devoted to Khandoba, the god whose fourteenth-century shrine sits on a hill just outside the city, have come to celebrate the Somavati Amavasya festival. Throwing great clouds of an offering of turmeric powder called bhandara into the air, the pilgrims paint the town golden yellow, a color they associate with the power of the sun and one suggestive of Khandoba's solar origin. Shouts of the ritual slogan Sadanandacha Yelkot acclaim Khandoba's everlasting bliss. Understandably, the pilgrims refer to the town as Sonyache Jejuri, or golden Jejuri.
A vibrant, earthy warrior
Throughout India, many Hindus worship Lord Shiva in his sacred, legendary form. But to many devotees from rural Maharashtra, a state in western India, he is most accessible in a number of alternative forms, called avatars, the most popular of which is Khandoba. Originally a mountaintop deity, the local sun god, and a regional guardian, Khandoba has become a complex mixture of the gods of several communities and regions. One popular manifestation is as a folk god. As such, he is directly accessible to his followers, existing on earth in the here and now, not in some distant heaven.
His principal temple at Jejuri is sanctified by an age-old myth about the triumph of good over evil. According to legend, Lord Shiva assumed the Khandoba avatar to destroy the demons Mani and Malla. After his victory, he was persuaded by his devotees to remain at the historic town of Prempura (now usually identified as Jejuri), from which this cult has spread.
Khandoba is commonly depicted as a vibrant, earthy warrior riding a white horse and is accompanied by his first wife, Malshabai, who is usually perched sidesaddle. His hunting dog runs alongside, sniffing the air. Malshabai is believed to be an avatar of Parvati, Lord Shiva's first wife.
The origins of the avatar of Khandoba's second wife are explained in a dramatic folk legend. On one of Khandoba's expeditions, a herd of sheep belonging to Banai, the shepherdess, blocks his way. Unable to clear them from his path, he becomes enraged and slaughters them. Recognizing his magical powers and unperturbed by the slaughter, Banai follows him. Pleased with her devotion, Khandoba honors her request to bring the animals back to life. He throws a pinch of healing bhandara over the heap of
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