Charak Puja: Shiva’s festival of pain, power & penitence lives on in Mayong

Charak Puja, though a festival primarily of the Barak Valley, is also celebrated in Mayong of Morigaon district in the Brahmaputra Valley. Tantric practices of Buddhist origin that reached its zenith in Bengal during the reign of Rama Pala of the Pala dynasty, seem to have thrived in Mayong around 12 CE. The migration of the Nath-Jogi community from mainland India with their Tantric practices gave Mayong the name of black magic.

Charak Puja, shunned mostly by the upper castes, had made its way through centuries of practice to Assam, along with West Bengal, Tripura, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bangladesh. Charak Puja is an annual festival in celebration of Shiva with a re-enactment of Lord Shiva’s cosmic sacrifice, blending mythology, devotion and rural traditions. Started by the Buddhist community as Dharmer Gajan, the festival is celebrated as Shiber Gajan by the Hindus. The name ‘Charak’ comes from the word chakra or the wheel representing the movement of the sun.

Beginning on the last date of Chaitra, this Puja continues into the month of Baishakh.Charak Puja is linked to the agricultural community where people pray to Lord Shiva for good harvest and rains.

Legend has it that King Bana — a devotee of Lord Shiva, had received severe injuries during his battle with Krishna, the Lord of Dwarka, and on the last day of the month of Chaitra, he performed devotional songs and dances and offered his blood to propitiate Mahadeva. People of the Shaiva community observe the festival to commemorate this event.

According to another legend, indebted farmers who failed to repay their landlords were hung with hooks piercing their body and were wheeled around on this day.

A few young men selected as Charak Sanyasis perform acts of penance in the name of Lord Shiva in the belief that they will be blessed with divine power and favours. For ten days before puja, the Sanyasis keep a fast and remain in total isolation to emerge in a state of trance that mitigates sensations of pain. To be selected as a Sanyasi is considered an honour. Some Sanyasis in Mayong claim to have been doing this for several years.

The festival begins with the erection of a tall wooden pole or charak on the ground, with a horizontal pole attached at the top, forming two arms. Devotees then release pigeons at the foot of the pole. The Sanyasi lies down face downwards, while another person inserts the hooks on his back by pulling the skin up.

The Sanyasi is then hung from one arm of the horizontal bar with ropes attached to the hooks on his back. A few men then start pulling the other arm of the bar with a rope running in a circular motion with the Sanyasi spinning around at a dizzying speed to the accompaniment of the sound of gongs, bells and conch shells and shouts of onlookers.

It is not uncommon to see Sanyasis falling off to the ground with their skin torn by the hooks, resulting in broken limbs and even death. It is notable that five women were hung from a hook in a similar manner in Saka 1800. Other rituals include walking on fire beds, piercing of tongue, cheeks, or other body parts, dancing and processions in colourful attire.

While this festival is not mainstream among the Assamese-speaking community, the parallel deities and tantric rituals are striking, indicating that there is a transmission of culture both ways, though there is apparent exclusion among various groups of people.

By Dr. Shiela Bora