PANAJI: On February four, the Amavasya day of Paush month this 12 months, citizens of Adulshem kept their date with ‘Manngem Thapnni’, a atypical agrarian cultural expression devoted to crocodile worship.
Located in Borim, 35km away from Panaji, Adulshem is a less-travelled stretch alongside the Zuari riverbanks and Cumbharjua canal, and is home to clusters of a few Hindu ethnic and agrarian households. The ritual, performed on Monday afternoon, saw a meeting of native farming and fishing communities accumulate on a bund.
Crafting a crocodile dummy of silt extracted from the fertile khazan land, villagers chanted prayers for a better crop and fish yield. ‘Manngem’ manner crocodile and the ‘thapnni’ refers to patting the dust into shape. Once it is carried out, a sacrificial offering is made – both a rooster or an egg. The ritual ends with the offering of a preparation of ‘chirmuleo’ (puffed rice) and jaggery to the gathering.
Khazans are saline lands, but in Goa, the dykes regulate salinity and turn the fertile soil right into a meals bowl of rice, vegetables and fish.
Locals consider crocodile is dad or mum
“The low ebb of the tide on Amavasya day of Paush month helps them to remove ‘chikol’ (silt) with their naked fingers from the khazan for the ritual. They adorn the dummy with shells and wild plant life,” says member, state flora and fauna advisory board, Charan Desai.
The crocodiles, as records say, had been presented in Cumbharjua canal swamps through Adil Shahi rulers over 500 years in the past. In the previous, they served them and the Portuguese rulers in scaring away soldiers from entering the previous capital of Old Goa. Goa’s freshwater crocodile is among three species - saltwater and ghariyal - found in India. Now, the crocodiles sustain many livelihoods with regards to boat cruises to its habitat.
The native populace consider that the hardy reptile is a form of its dad or mum. “If they provide it due appreciate, it will no longer harm them but additionally the fish and agricultural yield can be better,” mentioned Desai. The follow, regardless that quaint, is important amidst increasing man-animal conflicts. “The appreciate accorded to it breeds consciousness about conservation,” says Harish Muli, a adolescence from Adulshem, Borim.
The antiquity of this tradition is best steeped in oral custom. “Our ancestors will have to have started it after they began their agricultural traditions,” says Vithu Gawde, an aged resident of Borim. This agro-cultural follow isn't restricted to Adulshem by myself, but among Hindu and ethnic households in central Goa's riverine villages alongside the Zuari financial institution, in stretches between Bhoma and Madkai, Durbhat and Talaulim, Borim and Shiroda. And yet, the attention-grabbing custom has remained shrouded in obscurity.
Located in Borim, 35km away from Panaji, Adulshem is a less-travelled stretch alongside the Zuari riverbanks and Cumbharjua canal, and is home to clusters of a few Hindu ethnic and agrarian households. The ritual, performed on Monday afternoon, saw a meeting of native farming and fishing communities accumulate on a bund.
Crafting a crocodile dummy of silt extracted from the fertile khazan land, villagers chanted prayers for a better crop and fish yield. ‘Manngem’ manner crocodile and the ‘thapnni’ refers to patting the dust into shape. Once it is carried out, a sacrificial offering is made – both a rooster or an egg. The ritual ends with the offering of a preparation of ‘chirmuleo’ (puffed rice) and jaggery to the gathering.
Khazans are saline lands, but in Goa, the dykes regulate salinity and turn the fertile soil right into a meals bowl of rice, vegetables and fish.
Locals consider crocodile is dad or mum
“The low ebb of the tide on Amavasya day of Paush month helps them to remove ‘chikol’ (silt) with their naked fingers from the khazan for the ritual. They adorn the dummy with shells and wild plant life,” says member, state flora and fauna advisory board, Charan Desai.
The crocodiles, as records say, had been presented in Cumbharjua canal swamps through Adil Shahi rulers over 500 years in the past. In the previous, they served them and the Portuguese rulers in scaring away soldiers from entering the previous capital of Old Goa. Goa’s freshwater crocodile is among three species - saltwater and ghariyal - found in India. Now, the crocodiles sustain many livelihoods with regards to boat cruises to its habitat.
The native populace consider that the hardy reptile is a form of its dad or mum. “If they provide it due appreciate, it will no longer harm them but additionally the fish and agricultural yield can be better,” mentioned Desai. The follow, regardless that quaint, is important amidst increasing man-animal conflicts. “The appreciate accorded to it breeds consciousness about conservation,” says Harish Muli, a adolescence from Adulshem, Borim.
The antiquity of this tradition is best steeped in oral custom. “Our ancestors will have to have started it after they began their agricultural traditions,” says Vithu Gawde, an aged resident of Borim. This agro-cultural follow isn't restricted to Adulshem by myself, but among Hindu and ethnic households in central Goa's riverine villages alongside the Zuari financial institution, in stretches between Bhoma and Madkai, Durbhat and Talaulim, Borim and Shiroda. And yet, the attention-grabbing custom has remained shrouded in obscurity.
In agrarian part of Goa, crocodile worship thrives in relative obscurity
![In agrarian part of Goa, crocodile worship thrives in relative obscurity]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 11, 2019
Rating:
