Source: https://www.setopati.com/social/220016
Author: Binu Pokharel
Mia Patan in Kaski is a Muslim-majority village. At one time there were chiefs named Rahmad Ali and Mohammad Mia. Around ten o'clock, people of all castes including Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Gurungs and Magars of the village used to go to meet the chief with omens. The tenth festival of the Hindus started here only after offering sagun in the courtyard of the Muslim chief.
Citing this 'exemplary' tradition prevalent in the village of non-believers, says culturist Jagman Gurung:
The case of Mia Patan is an example.
There are many such features, which elevate Dashain from the perimeter of Hinduism and establish it as a cultural festival.
Otherwise, why is our 'Dashain' different from 'Dussehra' celebrated by Hindus in India?
They worship Durga like us, why don't they wear red acacia on their foreheads and yellow jamara on their heads like us?
Why do we equate red, white and black vaccines at ten o'clock?
Why do we chant the names of the characters of Mahabharata and Ramayana with the blessing of Tika?
Carrying these and many other questions related to Dashain, we met two senior culturologists - Tejeshwar Babu Gwang and Jagman Gurung. What they say helps to understand tithing as a religious festival but basically as our cultural festival.
First of all, let's start with the Tika and Jamara to be applied on the tenth.
If Tika and Jamara are removed, there will be no significant difference between our Dashain and India's 'Dussehra'. Hindus in India celebrate Navratri on Dussehra. On the day of Vijaya Dashami, they do not get the blessings of the elders by wearing Tika and Jamra like us. If it was just a religious festival, the basic way of celebrating our tithe would not be so different.
Cultural expert Jagman, Dashain considers it a 'culture associated with war'.
According to him, the tenth festival is the eve of the battle, when the peasant soldiers are preparing to enter the battlefield. He associates the practice of cleaning weapons and worshiping during Navratri.
'After the rains stopped and autumn started, the farmers were free from farming. Then they would bring in crops and prepare for battle. He cleaned all the weapons he had and put them together. Then the same weapon was worshiped. On the day of Vijaya Dashami, he used to anoint his arms with the water of the pot kept in Ghatsthapana. It was customary to apply yoghurt and rice on the forehead and go out for war exercises with joy, 'he says.
Jagman argues that the tenth is a continuation of the war tradition.
Even today, on the day of flowering, it is customary to collect old weapons such as khukuri and khunda and make a joint and decorate it with red and white flags and establish it with Goddess Durga. This method is called 'Durga Jagaune'. Durga itself is a 'form of power'.
The next day, on the day of Ashtami, goats are sacrificed along with the rising sun. Somewhere the sound of the city, somewhere the melody of Malsiri is the tenth proclamation. Jagman associates the practice of sacrifice with 'worship of power.' He said that the tunes of Nagara and Malsiri were played to increase the morale of the army.
"The method of celebrating the tenth day gives a glimpse of the war," he says.
He gave the example of the Malsiri tune resounding in the Kathmandu Valley and the tenth tradition celebrated by the Newars here.
On Ashtami day, it is customary to go to Kot with Malsiri tune and kill. At one time, the Newars of Kathmandu used to walk around the city wearing white feta on their heads and not wearing white robes. "It's a kind of reflection of war preparations," he said.
Not only in Kathmandu Valley, but also in other parts of the country.
In the Gandak region, Gurungs, Magars and other tribes carry khunda and khukuri. People of any caste are not barred from participating in it. According to Jagman, this practice, which is called 'cursing', gives a glimpse of war practice.
He also associates the tenth commentary with fighting.
At that time, it was customary to strike at Deurali or Devithan in the hills before going to war. The blood from the animal's throat was collected in a plate. And, so it was mixed with rice and tika as 'Prasad of Goddess Shaktiki'. Here rice is used as a symbol of 'indestructible grain', he said.
"Wounds are destruction, intact is indestructible," he said. "Rice may have been vaccinated as indestructible grain."
In this way, we, who thinks tika is mixed with blood at some point, have not started tika with red rice all at once. Meanwhile, Jagman said that Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Newar and other tribes from Khas Arya to Khas Arya used to get white vaccine.
He considers the dispute between red and white tika useless.
"It simply came to our notice then. Today we say that only the tribes get the white tika. Even the tribes who have started getting red Tika have returned to white saying their identity. In fact, not only the Janajati, but also the Khas Arya is using a white tika, 'he said.
He argues that red tika cannot be a fundamental tradition here as Nepal does not have its own product.
"If we import Abir from India today, where will we get it then?" He said, "Instead, the Newars of Kathmandu Valley may have included Abir in the course of trade and included it in the tika."
He said that the practice of giving red tika may be on the rise due to the increasing Indian influence. He has his own argument on how the Brahmins and Kshatriyas moved from white to red but the tribes remained white.
The migration of Brahmins and Kshatriyas was already intense. In the same vein they used Abir got to do
"Aesthetically, the red tika looks better than white, so its effect may be increasing," said Jagman. "The tribes lived in the hills." They had to move around a lot to use Abir. Eventually, they began to consider white as their identity. '
Here, the statements of Jagman Gurung and another culturologist Tejeshwar Babu Gwangah are somewhat contradictory, some are similar.
Tejeshwar Babu considers Tika culture as a method associated with agriculture rather than war preparation.
'This festival is associated with our agriculture. Nepal is still a place of flourishing golden earrings. It is still customary to worship the new crop introduced at the Tika site with the arrival of autumn. The method of vaccinating rice is connected with this practice, 'he said.
He gave the example of the method of worshiping Lakshmi on the day of Lakshmi Puja by placing all kinds of grains including paddy, wheat, maize, soybean, corn in separate pots. He said, 'Agriculture is the basic thing of culture. It's a celebration of how people are making a living, that's how culture develops around the world. '
He compares growing a house to a small farm. He says that it reflects the importance of agriculture in our livelihood. Tejeshwar Babu takes it as makeup to cover the jamara and make it yellow.
Jagman's view on Jamara is no different.
'Barley is a strong grain. Therefore, the practice of sowing jamara may have started to pre-test the soil and estimate the yield of seeds, 'said Jagman.
In the red and white commentary controversy, Tejeshwar Babu's argument does not agree with Jagman's.
He associates the practice of tika with the community's ancestral tradition.
'Suryavanshis who worship the light of the sun wear a red tika to match its warm and warm rays. While the Chandravanshis who worship the moon wear white tika like its cool and white rays, 'said Tejeshwar Babu.
He said that white tika was practiced in Newar of Kathmandu Valley till Mallaka.
'In the Kathmandu Valley, it was customary to give white tika till later. The Kirants also wore white. All of them are from Chandravanshi, 'he said. It was a established trend towards Gandak area. After conquering the Kathmandu Valley during the expansion of the state, Prithvinarayan and his brothers-in-law came with a red tika. It gradually lost the practice of tika from the people of Kathmandu.
Tejeshwar Babu says that it is still customary in his family to get white tika. He says, "We have started imitating the red tika."
Speaking of tika tradition, in Newar culture, it is customary to wear black tika along with red, which is called 'Mohini'. In the Newar language, the tenth is called Mohini. Inside the shrine of Dashain, a lamp is lit in Salincha and covered with smoke. Mohini is prepared by removing the same smoked part.
Cultural expert Tejeshwar Babu sees two reasons for the black tika.
First, wearing black under a white or red tika brightens a person's beauty. He says that the word 'Mohini' comes from 'Mohini'.
Second, just as it is customary to put tika to children so that they do not have a negative effect when they are taken out of the house.
Jagman Gurung also pointed out the third reason.
'Kathmandu is a tantric city. The Newari culture here is Tantra-oriented, 'he said.' Black commentary plays a big role in Tantra. Mohini may have come from the same tantric method. '
He took the red tika on Mohini as a symbol of victory.
Another question we had with Dashain was: Why do we keep the names of the characters of Mahabharata and Ramayana in the blessings of Tika?
Do you know what is meant by blessing the tika?
Ayur Dronasute, Shriyo Dasharathe, Shatrukshayo Raghave,
Aishwarya Nahushe, Gatishcha Pavane, Manashcha Duryodhana.
Shauryam Shantanve, Balan Haldhare, Satyanch Kuntisute,
Vijnanam Vidure, Bhavantu Bhavatan, Kirtishcha Narayane.
That is,
Ayur Dronsute (Long live like Drona's son Ashwatthama)
Shriyo Dasharatha (get credit like Dasharatha)
Shatrukshayo Raghve (May the enemy be destroyed like Ramchandra)
Aishwarya Nahushe (Be Aishwarya like Nahush Raja)
Dynamic wind (be like the wind)
Manashch Duryodhana (Earn value like Duryodhana)
Shaurya Shantanve (May the son of the sun be as generous as Karna)
Ball haldhare (be strong like halodhari balaram)
Satyanch Kuntisute (Speak the truth like Kunti's son)
Science Vidure, Bhavantu Bhavatan (Like Vidura, science should be understood, scripture should be understood)
Kirtishch Narayana (Gaining fame like Lord Narayan)
Cultural expert Jagman says this blessing is associated with war.
He said that this was done with the intention of wishing that the warriors who go to war would have power like the characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata and thus be able to defeat the enemy.
'We have read that the whole state was empty in those battles. At that time, many people lost their lives due to the war. Many became widows. Some lost their children. How many parents? Such a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe had devastated not only the family but the entire nation. The name may have been used to gain power like the characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata wars so that the same situation does not happen again, 'said Jagman.
He says that such a blessing adds encouragement and enthusiasm to the mentally depressed people and continues to this day.
Another special of our Dasain It is also Durga Puja. In India, Bengalis worship Durga. Elsewhere, 'Dussehra' is celebrated as a celebration of Rama's victory over 'Asuraka Raja' Ravana. In this process, it is customary to burn the idol of Ravana by setting up pandals in some places.
Jagman does not consider the cremation of Ravana's idol to be the original culture of Nepal.
According to him, this is a culture developed in the plains along the Ganges in India. However, he considers Durga Puja to have developed in the hilly region of Nepal.
"Idol burning is an imported culture," he said.
Today, the Dasain festival is celebrated by burning the idol of Ravana in the Terai region bordering India. For some time now, we have seen the burning of Ravana's idol in Kathmandu.
Jagman argues that the beginning of the Dasain culture associated with war and the worship of Durga was started by the hill tribes.
The basis of his argument is also the battle-relationship of the Dasain.
At that time, the hill tribes were the front line in the army. Before going to the battlefield, the tribe was given the responsibility of killing the victims. According to Jagman, they have been given such responsibility as they are of good nature.
Based on this argument, he says, 'Tithing is the culture of the tribes. The practice of injecting blood into the akshata after sacrificing has started from the tribes. It is a misinterpretation of the glory of our own ancestors to come out now and call Dasain a Brahmin-Kshatriya festival in the name of seeking originality. '
"Our tithe is so special that it shows high respect for all castes," Jagman said.
Tejeshwar Babu also considers the tenth culture as the 'property' of Nepalis.
'All the people of the world have adopted the culture according to the environment and environment of their country. Every culture has its own tolerance. The practice of tika and depositing in the tenth is a fundamental privilege that we own, 'he said.
