Gond Gowari community performs Gaigodhan and Dhal puja on Balipratipada at Bhadravati village boundary

On Balipratipada, Gaigodhan (Govardhan puja) and Dhal puja are performed at the boundary of four villages in Bhadravati taluka: Nimbala, Ghot, Heti and Chalbardi. The tribal Gond Gowari community still observes the worship with the same devotion and in the traditional manner. This year the event was held on Tuesday, Balipratipada.

Kopals, or cowherds, from about 10 to 12 surrounding villages bring their cows here for the worship. The villages include Chaprada, Chalbardi, Ghot, Nimbala, Heti, Lonara (Gond), Lonara (Parkhi), Kacharala, Manora, Mohabala and others. According to those familiar with it, the tradition is more than 400 years old and continues with the same devotion. Grazing cows is the traditional occupation of the Gond Gowari community, so its members worship the cows to express gratitude to them.

The festival is celebrated on Balipratipada, the fourth day of Deepavali. In the morning, the cows are first worshipped at home. They are then brought to the Gaigodhan ground for the public worship.

On this ground, a large bhursi is usually made from 25 to 30 baskets of cow dung. The bhursi has special importance in the Gaigodhan puja. An egg and a small live chick are placed in it. The chick's body is buried in the dung, with the part around its neck left open. The egg and chick are ringed with eleven sticks, each about a foot long, from five kinds of trees. A pink ribbon is wrapped around them, and the bhursi's lap is filled with blouse cloth and a coconut, as a married woman's lap is ritually filled.

On the same occasion, community members worship the Dhal, which they regard as their deity. A Dhal is made by fixing a wooden plank on a pole 20 to 25 feet long. One Dhal has four faces and symbolises Mata Raytad Jango, the female form. The other has two faces and symbolises the religious teacher Pahandi Pari Kupar Lingo, the male form.

Both Dhals are offered Gongo (worship) on Ashwin Dashami. On the ground where the Gaigodhan is made, Khilla Muthwa Pen is worshipped. The day before Lakshmi puja is held in Hindu tradition, the Gond Gowari community performs muthpuja of Mahishasur (Bodalpen)/Bhesasur, Khairdai/Matamai, Thakur Dev and its ancestors. Ancestors who have undergone Penkaran (Utaran) are included. The village's cows are then walked over the Godhan so that they have darshan of the deity Khilla Muthwa. This tradition has run since time immemorial, and the custom of celebrating on this day grew from it. For that reason the community still worships Dhals in female and male form (Salla and Gangra) as symbols of Mata Raytad Jango and Pahandi Pari Kupar Lingo. They are also called Jango Lingo Lathi Gongo. The two Dhals are held in reverence from this day until the arrival of the religious muthpuja festival called Dev Mai.

The Gaigodhan puja then begins. As per community custom, the boundary of the four villages and the deities residing within it are worshipped first. This worship is called "Shiv Bandhna". Next, near the ground, the idol of Waghoba, the community's revered deity, is worshipped. The bhursi is worshipped in the tribal tradition, with coconuts broken. A herd of cows is then driven over the bhursi holding the egg and the live chick. The chick and egg are then taken out of the bhursi. Local people claim that the egg and chick cannot be hurt, and that they are found unharmed when taken out.

The community says the worship is held every year on Balipratipada so that the Gond Gowari community and the Gaigodhan and Dhal puja endure. In several districts of Vidarbha, Gaigodhan and Dhal worship is held at village level and collectively.

The tribal Gond Gowari community, listed at serial number 18 in the Scheduled Tribes list, faces difficulties in getting Scheduled Tribe certificates and validity certificates. Vilas Raut, vice-president of the Adivasi Gond Gowari Sanskruti and Kalyan Mandal, Chandrapur district, has appealed to elected representatives and government officials of the district and Vidarbha to consider the community's cultural heritage and traditions, so that the way to Scheduled Tribe benefits and certificates is made easier.