Chandrabhaga Fair (Fairs of India)
 |
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: FACTS & FIGURES
Location: Chandrabhaga, near Konark, Orissa
Time of the year: Magha Poornima (January-February)
Duration: Seven days
Cycle: Yearly
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: THE FAIR
The Chandrabhaga Fair is one of the most popular and colorful fairs of Orissa. It is held on the seventh day of Magha (January-February) at a beach close to Konark in Orissa for seven days. The fair is held in honor of the sun god, who is said to have cured Sri Krishna's son Shambhu from leprosy. Pilgrims from various parts of India congregate here every year to take a dip in the holy waters and offer their prayers to the sun.
A majority of the believers are from Orissa. However, there are large contingents from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and even Madhya Pradesh. Besides these, there are tourists who come to see the famed Sun Temple at Konark. Mendicants too are present in a big but orderly way. They sit in single files along the road and paths that lead to the sanctum and make sure that charity is not overlooked when on a pilgrimage. Some prefer to sing and play devotional songs while moving amongst the assembly.
There is a continuous train of people, which keep coming from the previous morning itself, throughout the day and night until the celebrated daybreak. They come from all directions in various modes of conveyance. Most take the three-kilometer walk from Konark and if the time permits, they see the Sun Temple before proceeding to Chandrabhaga. If not, they stop over on their way back. Along this route, groups halt to collect firewood and to buy black earthen pots. These will be used for cooking after the group has camped around the site for the night.
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: THE SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Lending variety and color are numerous mobile vendors. There are toys to tempt children, eats for the hungry and travel-worn, as also amulets and other religious mementos. The kiosks around do brisk business. For tourists, coconut water with soft, delicious kernel is in abundance to quench a parched throat.
Though essentially a religious event, entertainment is provided by dance troupes performing jatra (folk theatre) close to the Sun Temple. These performances go on late into the night. Not wanting to be outdone, the restaurants around Konark blare songs from the latest Hindi films throughout the night to attract customers. As if this is not enough, persons are posted outside the restaurants to persuade passersby into taking a tea break or a midnight meal. An unwary pilgrim surrendering to compulsive hospitality is likely to find himself in one of them, which he no doubt will leave without regrets to continue the onward
.
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: RITUALS/TRADITIONS
Magha Saptami (January-February) heralds the occasion for performance of the Chandrabhaga rituals at a beach three kilometers from Konark. The roots of this festival are traced to a mythical tale wherein Shambhu, the son of Lord Krishna, trespassed into the chamber of his parents when they were in a state of private bliss. Upon this, Krishna cursed his son with leprosy. Since the punishment was too acute for such an inadvertent act by Shambhu, Narad took pity on him and instructed him to seek a cure at the Chandrabhaga River. The place where Shambhu is said to have meditated and worshipped the sun God after ablutions in the river for twelve years has become a sacred spot possessing curative properties.
Today, the river is not visible. What is left could be described either as a large pond or a very small lake. Yet, the faith in the cleansing powers of its waters is unquestionable. For, on this day of Magha Saptami, hundreds of thousands of people go through the bathing rituals. Those who do not find space, do so in the sea, which is just 100 m away. The ritual bathing takes place from 3 am onwards, commencing with the thakurs (priests) and followed by the rest. After purification, by dawn, a sea of humanity expectantly faces the Bay of Bengal with their eyes focused on a brighter section of the horizon.
As the morning stretches, the sands and the fisher folk, with their catamarans, regain authority on Chandrabhaga. While the wind and the caves will erase, all traces of this mammoth congregation, the celestial drama, though repeated daily shall remain an ordinary event until the next Magha Saptami.
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: LEGENDS
There is a legend related to Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati that is behind the beginning of this traditional fair. It is believed that Parvati had, since childhood, decided that Lord Shiva would be her husband. She underwent very rigorous fasts and meditation to please Shiva, who finally agreed to her wish and accepted her as his wife. However, Parvati's parents were not happy with the match. Once when Parvati's father King Daksha organized a yagna, he did not invite his daughter and son-in-law to participate in it. Parvati, who was angry at this treatment, went to her father's place to ask the reason for it. Daksha insulted Parvati again by calling Shiva poor and wild. Being the ideal consort of Shiva, Parvati could not bear the fact that her husband was being insulted in front of all the already present guests. She immediately jumped into the yagna fire out of shame and anger and killed herself.
When Lord Shiva got to know this, he was very angry and came to Daksha's palace. On seeing the dead body of his wife, he was so enraged that he put the body on his shoulder and started dancing the tandav or the dance of destruction. For several days the dancing continued, so much so that the earth was on the brink of being destroyed.
Then, all the other gods and goddesses appealed to Lord Vishnu to help remove the body from Shiva shoulder as this would make him stop his dance. With the help of his chakra, Lord Vishnu started cutting Goddess Parvati's body. It is said that the parts of Parvati's body fell at different parts of the country, which are all considered centers of power or Shakti peeth. The sex organ of Goddess Parvati is said to have fallen atop the Neelachal hill in Guwahati and that is where the Kamakhya temple stands now. For three days before the mela, the temple remains closed for visitors, as it is believed that Goddess Parvati or the mother earth has her menstrual cycle during these days and therefore she needs rest and solitude.
Another legend says that the demon Narakasura fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya once and he wanted to marry her. But as a goddess cannot marry a demon or asura, Goddess Kamakhya played a trick to save herself. She laid a condition that she would marry him only if he builds a temple for her within one night. Narakasura agreed to it and almost finished building the temple overnight. This scared Goddess Kamakhya and before the final steps of the temple were completed, a cock was sent to cry cock-a-doodle-do to announce the arrival of the morning, before it was actually dawn. This made Narakasura very angry and he killed the cock on that spot. But according to the condition Narakasura couldn't marry goddess Kamakhya after that. It is said that the present Kamakhya temple is the same that Narakasura had made for the Goddess.
CHANDRABHAGA FAIR: GETTING THERE
There is no airport at Konark. Bhubaneswar (65 km) and Puri (31 km) are the nearest airheads. Indian Airlines, Jet Air, and Sahara connect Bhubaneswar to Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Hyderabad, and Nagpur.
The nearest railheads are also at Puri and Bhubaneswar. These two stations are connected to all the major cities in India through long-distance trains. v
Orissa State Road Transport Corporation and private buses provide links with all parts of the state by road. Deluxe coach services from Calcutta, Bijapur, Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Vishakhapatnam are available.
Taxis, air-conditioned tourist cars, minibuses, and deluxe coaches can be used for sightseeing. For short distances, it is advisable to use cycle rickshaws and three-wheelers.
| |