Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship is a collaborative project to encourage fresh research on tangible and intangible heritage across India and South Asia. Articles, videos, interviews and more, supported by the Fellowship, are freely available for everyone to read, watch and hear at www.sahapedia.org.
Sahapedia, in collaboration with the Directorate of Culture and Archaeology, Government of Chhattisgarh, has undertaken the project of documenting comprehensively the rich and diverse cultural traditions and natural heritage of the state. This involves preparing multi-media modules which include articles, interviews and documentaries of a wide range of cultural forms including oral epics, performing art and craft traditions etc.
बंजारा शब्द ही अपने आप में एक पूरी जीवन शैली और संस्कृति का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है। एक समय भारत ही क्या समूचे विश्व व्यापर में इनका योगदान महत्वपूर्ण रहा है। छत्तीसगढ़ में बंजारों की उपस्थिति अथवा यहाँ के समाजिक जीवन में उनकी उनकी भूमिका के उल्लेख यहाँ प्रचलित मध्ययुगीन कथा –कहानियों में मिलते हैं। बंजारों को छत्तीसगढ़ में नायक कहा जाता है।
आकृति 1: दंतेश्वरी देवी
Dussehra in Bastar is a unique ritual as it is celebrated with extensive rigor for a period of seventy-five days during the month of ‘ashwin’ according to the Hindu calendar. It is a mesmerising event, celebrated earlier in year in a milder form during the month of ‘chaith’ (according to the Hindu calendar). The Dussehra of Bastar does not celebrate the killing of Ravana, rather it is a ritual of the goddess Danteshwari and other local deities who come together in a congregation.
The Dussehra at Bastar is a rich and complex festival that celebrates the role of the Goddess Danteshwari as the titular deity in Bastar. There are many layers of political, and cultural significance embedded in this event that was initiated by the Kakatiya rulers in the fifteenth century. At one level it can be seen as a ritual of kingship, marking the presence of the state in the life of the people of Bastar. There are remarkable social practices followed in the organization of this event spread over several weeks, involving and bringing together every community in the state of Bastar.
Philosophy
