The recent solar eclipse on January 15, classified as the longest eclipse of the century, reminded me of a practice followed by the locals on such celestial occurrences. It was believed that the sun was being devoured by a demon and needed help. People would gather in front of their houses and offer seven types of grains to the demon and plead with him to release the sun. They would chant:
"Chaar papiya chaar, jetre gule tetre khaar" meaning,
Please release the sun we offer you these grains consider each grain equivalent to one khaar.
The measure of quantity was volume and grains were measured accordingly. The smallest measure was a patha. It would work out to slightly more than one kg. 16 pathas equaled 1 bhar and 20 bhar was 1 khaar.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
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A nice post sir. I have grown up see my elders perform this ritual with the utmost seriousness and dedication. It mesmerises one and transports to a different times. I am not sure if the present generation (we) would be able to carry on these rituals – modern times + the scientific temper.
ReplyDeleteVery nice dad. Looking forward to more such posts !!
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