MĀ MĀṆIKĒŚWARĪ’S CHHATARA JĀTRĀ: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SACRED AND THE SACRIFICIAL

Abstract

The worship of goddess has always marked the veneration of the feminine divine in Hinduism. Goddess, the feminine divine, has been construed to be Śakti, the ultimate cosmic force, simultaneously symbolizing both creation and destruction. One manifestation of Śakti is Mā Māṇikēśwarī of Odisha’s Kalahandi district. Her popular religious procession known as Chhatara Jātrā, is intricately intertwined with the region’s historical, tribal, and cultural narratives. Animal sacrifice has remained one infamously violent ritualistic segment of this festive procession which is performed by slaughtering different animals with a view to receive from the deity something of greater worth. With the enforcement of the regulation protecting animal rights, this bloody and violent practice has come under stern eyes each year with inevitable legal interventions. This study aims at delving deep into the intricate details and delicacies of the Chhatara Jātrā. It intends to look critically into the historical dimensions, the embedded reasons, the significance, and aesthetics of this cruel and controversial practice. This study also navigates the dialectics of faith, tradition, and the entailed ethical concerns by examining historical accounts, indigenous influences, and performative traditions like the Ghumurā dance. By integrating local oral traditions with broader theological and socio-cultural frameworks, this chapter aims at offering a nuanced perspective on the worship of Mā Māṇikēśwarī based on Her age-old Chhatara Jātrā, the prevalence of animal sacrifice as well as the tradition of goddess worship in contemporary Odisha.