We may call it superstition , but thousands of people in different parts of Orissa believe it as the healing power of Goddess Mangala which encourages them to perform the rituals of self torture every year. This happens even in the close vicinity of Bhubaneswar ,the State Capital of Orissa. And most of the individuals use to perform such rituals of self torture for a period of minimum five years to ten years.
On the Makar Sankranti or Maha Bisuba Sankranti day such rituals are performed. The rituals are no joke or pleasant rituals. The devotees perform painful rituals with confidence and pleasure.
The devotees, who perform the rituals of self torture use to take one meal a day for about a fortninght and donot take non-vegeterian food. Everyday , after taking bath in the village pond, they go to the tepmle of Goddess Mangala and prey to the Goddess to fulfil their desires which include to cure them from diseases or achive something extradinary which they could not have achieved normally. Others prey the Goddess for fulfilling their desires or for getting them cured from painful diseases they were sufferring earlier.
On the Makar Sankranti day, the devotees take bath in the village pond in presence of thousands of spectators who use to throw rice and flower on them. With galrlands round their necks , they come for darshan of the Goddess. There paste of custard oil and resin are pasted on their backs. Then resin powders are thrown over a “mashal ” pointed at their back for some time, may be to give the effect of anestheia.
Then big iron hooks tied with ropes are pierced into their skin near the spinal cord, in presence of thousands of spectators enjoing this strange sight.None of the devotees express any sign of pain in their face while the iron hooks and pierced into their skin.
Afther this process is over, the devotees are hung to a pole with the ropes tied to the hooks piercing their skins. The people who participate in this ritual slowly move the pole in circular and upand down motion amdist cheers of thousands of men , women and children enjoying the sight. While hanging from the pole, the devotees use to bless the people and pickup children to bless them for their cure . Parents are seen handing over their children to the devotees to bless them. They claim that as soon as the rituals are over the hooks are taken out from their
skin. But they donot feel any pain nor any injury exist on their backs where the thick iron hooks were pierced in.
According to the popular faith when some body in the villages around the temple of Mangala fall ill, he or his parents use to swear in the name of the goddess that he would obseve such rituals for five or ten years , if he would be cured of the disease he is sufferring. And he would practice such rituals of self torture after his recovery from the disease.
According to Kain a lady of Sarakana village near Bhubaneswar , “people use to take a vow to observe such rituals for five or ten years after getting cured from painful diseases. Due to grace of the Goddess many people get cured and observe such rituals annually. They donot feel any Dillip Kumar Parida said , ” I had promised to observe such
rituals when I was ill and after getting cured due to blessings of the Goddess I observed this along with others. A devotees never feel any pain wile piercing the iron hook on the back.
This practice is going on for so many years and would also continue in future…”
The nearest villages from Bhubaneswar where such rituals are performed include Sarakana and Bhimpur ( near Sakhigopal ) . Thousands of spectators from different parts of the State witness the rituals.
Prasanta Patnaik