LIVING WITH THE HILLS: “BURU-BONGA” OR “PAHAR PUJA” OF BELPAHARI

Jhargram district, thanks to its geo-political position, is the home of diverse race, culture and beliefs. The part which I particularly highlight in this paper is the outskirt areas of Belpahari, a Block-town of the newly formed Jhargram district of West Bengal, mainly the areas covered by shaal jungle and surrounded by small hills and dungris. This part of the said Block-town is popularly known as ‘Bontola’(forest-land) among the local inhabitants. The censure report (2011) confirms that save from the semi-urban Belpahari town which is primarily equipped by the Hindus and Muslims, it is the Adivasis-Mulvasis who dominate’ Bontola’. Santhals, along with Munda, Ho, Kol, Bhumij tribes are the chief dwellers of the jungle-based villages. Sari-Sarna is the religion they follow. The religion, even after heavy religious syncretism (mainly from Hinduism) and continual attempt of proselytizing by Christian Missionaries, has retained its basic philosophy of bio-centric living. All the rituals reflect the importance of their immediate natural surroundings in their life and living, and their conscious attempt to acknowledge that debt through observations of certain rituals and festivals associated with the ‘dharam’. I have particularly zoomed in here on the practice of ‘’Hill-Worship” known amongst the adivasi-mulvasis as “Buru-Bonga” or “pahar-puja” (the Bengali equivalent of the term) and tried to highlight the importance of this local festival among the populace of the surrounding localities.