Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Festivals are a big part of Indian culture and tradition and the same is the case with Odisha. While many people often tend to think that Odisha is only about Rathyatra, the state does celebrate a lot more than just that. Odisha festivals have a kind of significance and magnetism on the culture and traditions of the people concerned. Each of them is utilitarian with an interesting story pursued back to ancient times.
One such festivity celebrated by Odias is Khudurukuni Osha also known as Bhalukuni Osha which is mainly observed in the coastal districts of Odisha during the month of Bhadraba (Aug-Sept) on Sundays after the Gahma Purnima (Full moon day of Shravana). During this festival, Goddess Mangala is worshipped by young girls principally who seek the safety, prosperity and good health of their brothers. This portrays the sanctification and excellence of the relationship between Brother and Sister.
The Original Story-
In the early days, traders from Odisha travelled far and scattered mostly to Java and Sumatra Islands in ships which are known as Boitas in Odia to do business. Their family members used to solicit them adieu and pray for their good health and safe homecoming. The name “Tapoi” is common in this festivity who was the only and the youngest sister to her seven brothers. They belonged to a rich trader family. Being the only sister she was loved and pampered by her parents and all brothers and their wives also. Once she was playing with her friends when a Brahmin evil widow arrived and mocked her for playing like ordinary girls despite being the daughter of a ‘sadhaba’ family. She asked her to instead play with ‘sunachanda’ (a moon made of gold).
Ta’poi went to her parents and asked them to make one for her. Her parents enthusiastically complied. However, her father died and the ‘chanda’ remained incomplete. By the time it was finished, her mother also died. Ta’poi got what she yearned for but by then, she became an orphan.
Thereafter, the family’s financial condition worsened a lot and when the time of maritime voyages arrived, all the seven brothers went out for trading forewarning their wives to take good care of their sister, Tapoi.
Initially, all went well. But, one day the same evil widow visited the sadhaba’s home and, convinced by her malicious advice, the sisters-in-law started ill-treating Ta’poi. Despite being treated very badly and cruelly, Tapoi numbly waited for her brothers to return. But it was only her youngest sister-in-law who was loving and supportive towards Tapoi.
Tapoi followed the goats to fields and forests and one evening, when Ta’poi came back with the goats, the eldest sister-in-law found one of the goats, ‘Gharamani’, missing. She forced Ta’poi to go back to the forests to find her goat. On that rainy evening, while Ta’poi was searching for the goat in a dark, dense forest, she came upon a group of girls performing the ‘Mangala Puja’. She started worshipping the Goddess along with them and prayed for the safety and early return of her brothers. She offered the goddess a few broken grains of rice because she didn’t have anything else to offer.
Soon her prayers were answered and later her brothers returned. On knowing their sisters’ predicament, all these brothers unanimously decided to teach their wives a lesson. The brothers decked up Tapoi as a goddess and thereafter the wives were informed to visit the ships and welcome their husbands back home. Tapoi then avenged her sufferings by cutting each of the wives’ noses except for the youngest one.
The Rituals –
Unmarried girls, in groups from the same neighbourhood, gather at a commonplace, called ‘puja kothi’. The Goddess is usually worshipped in two forms – one on a painting called ‘patti’, while the second is a clay idol, called ‘bhalukuni’. Every place of worship has at least one idol for the rituals. More are added if the girls present an idol for the fulfilment of a specific wish (manasika).
In some regions, the place where the paddy is pounded in a village is cleaned and smeared with cow dung. Thereafter they sit down to stitch massive garlands for the Goddess. Alpanas or Jhotis designs are drawn on the floor. Then idol of the Goddess is installed and the worship and rituals begin in the evening.
The girls gather early in the morning at the ‘kothis’ and make massive flower garlands. They, then, take bath, usually in nearby ponds or rivers after which, they create a tiny mound on the river bed from seven handfuls of sand and seven ‘apamaranga’ (a kind of plant) sticks. The mound is worshipped and ‘ukhuda’ and ripe bananas are offered to the Bakuka (Sand) Goddess.
The women proceed to the ‘kothis’ after changing their clothes. The ‘patti’ and ‘bhalukuni’ are decorated with as many garlands as possible. ‘Balabhoga’ is offered, which includes various fruits. Every girl carries a ‘brata’ (a knotted white thread coloured with turmeric) and ‘dubapuda’ (a tiny bouquet of duba grass, flowers, whole raw rice, tied together in a hibiscus leaf) with her. After completion of puja and offerings, they tie it on their left arm.
After the ‘Balabhoga’ ritual, the girls break their fast with a purely vegetarian diet. The girls once again assemble together at the ‘kothi’ when dusk falls. During the evening puja, ‘Khudurkuni Brata Katha’ is recited which speaks of the heart-breaking tale of Ta’Poi. The girls offer ‘Lia’ (flattened rice flakes) to the Goddess. After completion of the puja, they mix this ‘lia’ with milk or curd, sweetened with sugar and have it for dinner.
Image Courtesy – Google
