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== Description == | == Description == | ||
Sarna Burhi is described as being a goddess associated with spirits, rain, and plants. In the culture of the [[Munda people|Munda]] and [[Kurukh people]]s (both of which constitute part of the [[Adivasi]] peoples),<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=UZyjAQAAQBAJ | Sarna Burhi is described as being a goddess associated with spirits, rain, and plants. In the culture of the [[Munda people|Munda]] and [[Kurukh people]]s (both of which constitute part of the [[Adivasi]] peoples),<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZyjAQAAQBAJ&dq=Sarna+Burhi+goddess&pg=PA123|title=The Forest in Folklore and Mythology|last=Porteous|first=Alexander|date=2012-04-03|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=9780486120324|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Sarna Burhi is depicted as the guardian of [[Sarna (sacred sites)|Sarna]], sacred groves of trees that serve as refuges for spirits displaced by human activity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwKrCQAAQBAJ&dq=Sarna+Burhi+goddess&pg=PA7|title=Women in India: A Social and Cultural History [2 volumes]: A Social and Cultural History|last=Raman|first=Sita Anantha|date=2009-06-08|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313014406|language=en}}</ref> These sites are described by some sources as remnant of old [[Shorea robusta|Sal forests]] which used to cover parts of Bengal's landscape.<ref name=":1" /> In the tradition of the peoples who worship at the groves, the Sal trees cause misfortune to fall on any who harm or cut down the trees that make up a Sarna.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/sahyadri_enews/newsletter/issue4/Yogesh_Anno_bib.pdf |title=Sacred Groves of India: An Annotated Bibliography |website=Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore}}</ref> Rather, the groves are treated as sacred places.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Damodaran|first=Vinita|date=August 2002|title=History, landscape, and indigeneity in Chotanagpur, 1850–1980|journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies|language=en|volume=25|issue=2|pages=77–110|doi=10.1080/00856400208723476|s2cid=145545087|issn=0085-6401}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> | ||
Sarna play a significant role in the religious activities of several cultures originating in Bengal, where individual villages often worship their own pantheon of deities.<ref name=":3" /> The goddess Sarna Burhi resides in and protects these sacred spaces and as such worshipers of the faith pay homage to her during religious festivals that involve the Sarna.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> | Sarna play a significant role in the religious activities of several cultures originating in Bengal, where individual villages often worship their own pantheon of deities.<ref name=":3" /> The goddess Sarna Burhi resides in and protects these sacred spaces and as such worshipers of the faith pay homage to her during religious festivals that involve the Sarna.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> | ||
In the culture of the Munda peoples, some villages participate in a religious ceremony held in honor of Sarna Burhi.<ref name=":0" /> During the ceremony, several fowl are ritually slaughtered in front of an idol or symbol of the goddess near the Sarna.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=q-Y5DwAAQBAJ | In the culture of the Munda peoples, some villages participate in a religious ceremony held in honor of Sarna Burhi.<ref name=":0" /> During the ceremony, several fowl are ritually slaughtered in front of an idol or symbol of the goddess near the Sarna.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-Y5DwAAQBAJ&dq=Sarna+Burhi&pg=PT61|title=The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2)|last=Frazer|first=James|date=2018-07-11|publisher=Litres|isbn=9785040868858|language=en}}</ref> The worshipers then hold a feast during which the fowl are consumed. A procession, accompanied by music (produced by drums and horns), is then started leading back to the village;<ref name=":0" /> the worshipers also spread sal blossoms in their wake, which are later used to decorate the doors of the village's houses.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:Rain deities]] | [[Category:Rain deities]] | ||
[[Category:Tree goddesses]] | [[Category:Tree goddesses]] | ||
[[Category:Bengali culture]] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:13, 30 March 2022
Sarna Burhi (en: Woman of the Grove) is a deity worshiped by various animist peoples living in the Bengal region of India and Bangladesh. Sarna Burhi is depicted as the goddess of Sal tree groves and she is strongly associated with water and plant life. The deity is traditionally worshiped by the Munda, Kurukh, and Oraon peoples of Bengal.
Description[edit | edit source]
Sarna Burhi is described as being a goddess associated with spirits, rain, and plants. In the culture of the Munda and Kurukh peoples (both of which constitute part of the Adivasi peoples),[1][2] Sarna Burhi is depicted as the guardian of Sarna, sacred groves of trees that serve as refuges for spirits displaced by human activity.[3] These sites are described by some sources as remnant of old Sal forests which used to cover parts of Bengal's landscape.[1] In the tradition of the peoples who worship at the groves, the Sal trees cause misfortune to fall on any who harm or cut down the trees that make up a Sarna.[4] Rather, the groves are treated as sacred places.[2][4]
Sarna play a significant role in the religious activities of several cultures originating in Bengal, where individual villages often worship their own pantheon of deities.[3] The goddess Sarna Burhi resides in and protects these sacred spaces and as such worshipers of the faith pay homage to her during religious festivals that involve the Sarna.[1][2]
In the culture of the Munda peoples, some villages participate in a religious ceremony held in honor of Sarna Burhi.[2] During the ceremony, several fowl are ritually slaughtered in front of an idol or symbol of the goddess near the Sarna.[5] The worshipers then hold a feast during which the fowl are consumed. A procession, accompanied by music (produced by drums and horns), is then started leading back to the village;[2] the worshipers also spread sal blossoms in their wake, which are later used to decorate the doors of the village's houses.[2]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Porteous, Alexander (2012-04-03). The Forest in Folklore and Mythology. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486120324.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Damodaran, Vinita (August 2002). "History, landscape, and indigeneity in Chotanagpur, 1850–1980". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 25 (2): 77–110. doi:10.1080/00856400208723476. ISSN 0085-6401. S2CID 145545087.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Raman, Sita Anantha (2009-06-08). Women in India: A Social and Cultural History [2 volumes]: A Social and Cultural History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313014406.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Sacred Groves of India: An Annotated Bibliography" (PDF). Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore.
- ↑ Frazer, James (2018-07-11). The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2). Litres. ISBN 9785040868858.