Kharchi: Bathing of deities in Tripura

          Agartala: Thousands of devotees attending, a unique bathing ritual of 14 Hindu deities began in Tripura. It is known as Kharchi. The priests bring the idols of the deities, place them on decorated cushions in a temple courtyard and bathe them amidst chanting of hymns and frenzied beating of drums to invoke all holy spirits. One of the most revered, it is the only Hindu festival where only the heads of the gods are worshipped. Though an essentially tribal festival, it has over the years been come to be among the few cross-culture shows in the region. Tripura along with the rest of the northeast is a cauldron of ethnic violence spawned by economic backwardness and tensions between ethnic tribals or groups pitted against other groups or Indian rule. "Our family members are participating in this ceremony for the last hundred years. Here both tribal and non-tribal devotees come together and enjoy this festival," Joshna Debbarama, a devotee said in capital Agartala. "People from different communities participate in this festival forgetting their caste, language and religion. This festival is a platform to bridge the chasms between the people of all communities," Kalipad Sarkar, another devotee added.
June 26, 2004

Muslims weave clothes for Hindu deities

          Vrindavan: Hundreds of Muslims are engaged in weaving clothes for Hindu deities here. Most of the 350 Muslim families have been stitching clothes for the Hindu deities for a long time in Vrindavan. So attached they are to their profession that they themselves go to the temples to take measurements of the idols. Their respect towards the deities is no less than the Hindus. "We are attached to a number of temples. The priests there hold us in high esteem. We take the measurement of the idol ourselves, for which elaborate costumes are then prepared. And then we go back and put the costumes on the idols with our own hands, itself an act of prayer for us. Only when we are satisfied that Lord Krishna's idol looks perfect are we contented. If there is a shortcoming, we feel the pain too and correct it," said Ikram Qureshi, a tailor. The silk and fancy attires weaved by Qureshi and his associates adorn not only the deities in Vrinadavan but they also are exported to many countries. The annual business is worth 20 million rupees. "There are 800-1,000 artisans in the profession in Vrindavan and the business achieves a turnover of some Rs 20 million annually. Costumes for idols go from here to Hindu temples all over the world," Vipin Kumar Aggrawal, a shop owner, said. Vrindavan is situated in Uttar Pradesh, about 150 kilometers south of New Delhi. Vrindavan, primarily a place of temples, has nearly 4,000 shrines and community food centers. Vrindavan is considered the place where Lord Krishna spent his early childhood. According to mythology, it was here that Krishna indulged in adolescent pranks with the milkmaids in the forests and stealing their clothes while they bathed in the Kalindi river. Little now remains of the legendary forests and the river has meandered away from most of Vrindavan's bathing ghats, but the Krishna effect is still there in the large number of pilgrims visiting this town.
June 24, 2004

Guru Arjun Dev martyrdom observed

         Amritsar: Sikhs in Amritsar on Wednesday observed the 150th anniversary of martyrdom of their fifth Guru, Arjun Dev, by holding prayers and processions. Devotees thronged the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine since early morning to take a dip in the holy pond. Sikh devotees also erect stalls on the roadside offering "kachi lassi" (sweetened milk) to the thirsty passers-by to commemorate the death of the Guru who was burnt to death. Guru Arjun Dev completed many tasks for the Sikh religion. He expanded the city of Amritsar and Kartarpur and founded the city of Tarn Taran. He dug up several wells and medicine houses spreading across the whole of Punjab.

         Lahore: Nearly 100,000 Sikh pilgrims congregated here on Monday to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev. According to the Daily Times, the devotees paid obeisance at the Gurdawara Dera Sahib in Lahore late on Sunday night and then visited the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hasan Abdal the next day. Sikh pilgrims from India, Germany, Canada, England and France were present in large numbers. Those hailing from India are scheduled to return home on June 17 on a special train arranged by Pakistan Railways. Pilgrims have reportedly commenced a recitation of couplets from the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book of the community) at the Gurdawara Dera Sahib, a ritual that ends on Wednesday with the celebration of Jore Mela. Guru Arjun Dev was martyred by the banks of the River Ravi on May 30, 1606. Guru Hargobind built a platform at the site where he was martyred, which was later converted into a small gurudwara by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
June 16, 2004

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