Weapon Worship during Durga Puja

pmaitra

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A report on the 141 year old tradition by the now Jharkhand Armed Police, many of whom are Gurkhas, of worshipping weapons during Durga Puja.

Weapons that can be seen in the video:
  • AK-47
  • Bren LMG
  • INSAS AR
  • INSAS LMG
  • Khukri
  • Short Magazine Lee Enfield (.303)
  • Sterling Carbine

Occasion:
  • Durga Puja

Location:
  • Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Organisers:
  • Jharkhand Armed Police


 
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pmaitra

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Weapon Worship by Rajpur Sabha during Vijaya Dashami (last day of Durga Puja) at Jammu.


Weapon Worship by CRPF during Vijaya Dashami (last day of Durga Puja) at Amritsar.


Weapon Worship by Tripura State Rifles during Vishwakarma Puja at Agartala.
 

KS

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sacrifice of 101 goats...God...these guys know how to celebrate festivals !!!

On a side note in our place the 10th day of Dusshera is called "Ayudha Pujai" (worship of weapons/tools) and in villages they used to keep spears/aruvaals and worship.
 

pmaitra

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sacrifice of 101 goats...God...these guys know how to celebrate festivals !!!

On a side note in our place the 10th day of Dusshera is called "Ayudha Pujai" (worship of weapons/tools) and in villages they used to keep spears/aruvaals and worship.
Goats as well as buffaloes are sacrificed. Traditionally, it is usually buffaloes, because Godess Durga defeated Mahishasura on the last day of Durga Puja. Her victory on the 10th day is commemorated as Vijaya Dashami. Mind you, even the Mahishasura is worshipped, along with all the weapons used by Godess Durga, her children and her foe, Mahishasura.
 

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Goats as well as buffaloes are sacrificed. Traditionally, it is usually buffaloes, because Godess Durga defeated Mahishasura on the last day of Durga Puja. Her victory on the 10th day is commemorated as Vijaya Dashami. Mind you, even the Mahishasura is worshipped, along with all the weapons used by Godess Durga, her children and her foe, Mahishasura.
What of the sacrificed goats/buffaloes ? Are they disposed off or they are cooked ?
 

pmaitra

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What of the sacrificed goats/buffaloes ? Are they disposed off or they are cooked ?
They are cooked, without onion, garlic and ginger, first offered to the idol of Godess Durga, then eaten by the priest and thereafter served as prasad(am) to the devotees.

One thing to note here is that, AFAIK, vegetarian Brahmins are not allowed to perform this ritual.
 

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More on Buffalo Sacrifice

More on Buffalo Sacrifice:

Animal sacrifice alive at Ratu Fort

SANTOSH K. KIRO

Ranchi, Sept. 23: The Ratu Fort, which was once the powerhouse for Nagvanshi rulers of Chhotanagpur, is getting ready for Durga Puja and the age-old ritual of buffalo sacrifice.

Ashok Sutradhar, the artist whose family has been working for Nagvanshi dynasty for several years, is now busy giving final touches to the idol. The place inside the fort where buffaloes will be sacrificed has also been cleaned. The "sacrificial wood" is ready too.

The Hatia MLA and "yuvraj" of the Nagvanshi dynasty, Gopal Sharan Nath Shahdeo, is ensuring that all goes according to plan.

"With the Assembly elections on the cards, political activities have become hectic. But the puja is very special for our family and the people of the region. I would give enough time to it," said Shahdeo.

Besides, the Durga Bati pandal situated within Ranchi at Ratu Fort is the only other puja that is as old. But only the puja at Ratu Fort observes animal sacrifice.

Here, Durga Puja had begun soon after the Nagvanshi rulers shifted from Palkot to Ranchi in 1870. But the royal family, which was based in Chhotanagpur and districts of Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega, Khunti and Palamau, had started offering animals to the goddess long before shifting to Ranchi. In 64AD, their capital was in Sutiambe near Ranchi. The royals later shifted to Chutia, Khukhragarh and then to Palkot before arriving in Ratu.

"In 1870, Rani Laxman Kunwar, the mother of Pratap Uday Nath Shahdeo started the puja at Ratu. Since she was from Bengal, uchcharan (recital of mantras) was done in Bengali. We are still keeping this tradition alive," said Sachindra Nath Shahdeo (76). He, however, could not specify when the tradition of karra (buffalo) sacrifice began.

Some years ago, villagers would also participate in buffalo sacrifice. They would come to the fort with their own buffaloes. Today, things have changed. Villagers don't come from far-flung places like Gumla, Simdega and Palamau but several do arrive from the neighbourhood.

"The number of buffaloes being sacrificed at the altar has also now come down to only seven to eight against hundreds," Shahdeo said. The Nagvanshi family is also keeping another tradition alive.

Several decades ago, during Bijoya Dashami, a tribal priest of Dimba village near Ratu had brought pata khanda, a kind of flower from his village and offered it to the maharaja. Even today, this practice is repeated.

"This flower, it is believed, has links with Bakasura, who belonged to the dwapara yuga," Shahdeo said.

Source: The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Jharkhand | <B>Animal sacrifice alive at Ratu Fort</B>
Maha Ashtami
The next day or Ashtami was traditionally the buffalo sacrifice day to commemorate the victory of the Goddess over the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. However, there are no more sacrifices on the day, except for a few incidents that may occur at the orthodox villages in the remotest areas but the Indian government and the modern wave of animal love and compassion discourage them too.

The devotees of Goddess Durga start the celebrations of Maha Ashtami with the recital of Sanskrit hymns in community puja pandals. They offer anjali to the deity. The worship of little girls, called 'kumari puja, is the main attraction of the day. In the evening, Sandhi puja is conducted, which marks the inter-linking of the Maha Ashtami with Maha Navami.

Source: Durga Puja Customs
Note, the day of the sacrifice can vary, between Ashtami (8th day), Navami (9th day) and Dashami (10th day).

One may not agree with this, and I, myself, am not sure whether this is correct, but an interesting perspective:
Durga puja (Navaratri) also celebrates the defeat of the buffalo-grazers of ancient India by the food-producing Dravidians (Mundas) who worshipped the Mother Goddess. Thus you will find that Durga pooja and buffalo sacrifice is strongest in places of Dravidian culture, such as eastern, north-eastern (including Nepal) and southern India. It has nothing to do with religion. It is a mere celebration of the take over of land which belonged to indigenous people by their conquerors. Tribes such as the Gonds, Maria Gonds, Todas, etc., still worship and graze the buffalo and bury it with ritual honours when it dies. Sacrificing the buffalo – who is described as a demon – was their way of showing contempt for the buffalo grazers. I have written extensively on this subject in my BOOK OF DEMONS, published by Penguin India.

Source: http://voices-and-visions.com/tag/durga-puja/
 

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One thing to note here is that, AFAIK, vegetarian Brahmins are not allowed to perform this ritual.
In Bengal eating fish is considered "vegetarian" :rolleyes:..I'm not surprised.

Ok how are the Buffaloes sacrificed...Halal method of jhatka method ?
 

The Messiah

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They are cooked, without onion, garlic and ginger, first offered to the idol of Godess Durga, then eaten by the priest and thereafter served as prasad(am) to the devotees.

One thing to note here is that, AFAIK, vegetarian Brahmins are not allowed to perform this ritual.
Now this is what i like. :namaste:
 

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In Bengal eating fish is considered "vegetarian" :rolleyes:..I'm not surprised.

Ok how are the Buffaloes sacrificed...Halal method of jhatka method ?
why would halal be used ?

use common sense....tradition is being followed before islam.
 

pmaitra

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In Bengal eating fish is considered "vegetarian" :rolleyes:..I'm not surprised.
No. Fish is non-vegetarian. Most Bengali families have one day of the week as vegetarian, and fish, eggs, meat, etc., are not cooked on that day. Even onion, garlic, ginger is not used for cooking.

However, any kind of fish or meat, that is cooked as per religious rituals, i.e. without onion, garlic and ginger, is considered niramish, which roughly means vegetarian, but that is not the exact meaning. The meaning is more complicated. :)

Ok how are the Buffaloes sacrificed...Halal method of jhatka method ?
No halal.

One swipe and the head must be severed. The medulla of the animal is destroyed first, and the animal feels negligible to zero pain. If the sacrificer fails to sever the head in one swipe, it is mahapaap and he has to perform prayashchit ritual for that.
 

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why would halal be used ?

use common sense....tradition is being followed before islam.
I just asked...Halal method was not invented by Muslims or came into being only after Islam...like alomst everything else they based it on the Jewsih method which is similar...And Jewism has been there forever.
 

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No. Fish is non-vegetarian. Most Bengali families have one day of the week as vegetarian, and fish, eggs, meat, etc., are not cooked on that day. Even onion, garlic, ginger is not used for cooking.
No man..once I had a funny argument with my Bengali colleague who kept arguing that fish is considered vegetarian in Bengal and even orthodox Brahmins eat it. I recollected from that.



No halal.

One swipe and the head must be severed. The medulla of the animal is destroyed first, and the animal feels negligible to zero pain. If the sacrificer fails to sever the head in one swipe, it is mahapaap and he has to perform prayashchit ritual for that.
Yeah that how even we do.
 

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No man..once I had a funny argument with my Bengali colleague who kept arguing that fish is considered vegetarian in Bengal and even orthodox Brahmins eat it. I recollected from that.
Well, the confusion arises from equating niramish and amish with vegetarian and non-vegetarian, respectively.

They are more or less the same, but not really same. Your colleague just didn't know the details.

Yeah that how even we do.
Indeed. It is believed that it is a Dravidian tradition, however, I have a Tamil friend who tells me that he is a Brahmin and therefore vegetarian. I tease him by saying I will never allow him to do Durga Puja. :)

I am pretty sure there are different rules among different Tamil communities. You can tell me more.
 

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I just asked...Halal method was not invented by Muslims or came into being only after Islam...like alomst everything else they based it on the Jewsih method which is similar...And Jewism has been there forever.
This traditions is being followed even before jews came into existence.

Infact these are true Indian traditions that pseudu wankers want eliminated. You know whom im talking about.
 

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Indeed. It is believed that it is a Dravidian tradition, however, I have a Tamil friend who tells me that he is a Brahmin and therefore vegetarian. I tease him by saying I will never allow him to do Durga Puja. :)

I am pretty sure there are different rules among different Tamil communities. You can tell me more.
He is correct..brahmins in south dont even like the sight of meat/chicken or fish...They are by definition pure vegetarians and some Iyengars ( a group among Brahmins who are considered higher in hierarchy than the rest of Brahmins ) dont even eat onion and garlic.

But among my caste and some others like Thevars,Nadars animal sacrifice is common..but the thing is they are not sacrificed on Dusshera as it is considered auspicious day and so we dont eat meat that day...Some events for which we sacrifice animals are like , if something favorable happens to us and as an offering for that, or during the age-attending ceremony of girls.

Also the sacrifices are made to village deities or to more fierce avatars of Durga like Kali amman and not to mainstream Gods like Shiva, Muruga etc. And the chosen animal for sacrifice is goat - specially bred for this purpose and among the not-so-affluent Hens.
 
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KS

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This traditions is being followed even before jews came into existence.

Infact these are true Indian traditions that pseudu wankers want eliminated. You know whom im talking about.
Judaism is like Hinduism...there is no agreed date when it was started...anyway..even the so called wankers have their uses.
 

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Judaism is like Hinduism...there is no agreed date when it was started...anyway..even the so called wankers have their uses.
There is date for judaism ie when moses onto the scene while there is none for hinduism becuase it not like other religions.
 

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There is date for judaism ie when moses onto the scene while there is none for hinduism becuase it not like other religions.
There is no historical date as to when Moses lived.
 

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There is no historical date as to when Moses lived.
There is not an exact date but there is an agreement on the range give a 100 years here or there unlike hinduism.

for one we know there were no jews when there weren't any pyramids because when moses was born the pharos were already ruling...can you say the same for hinduism ?
 
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