Adivasi festival : water shortage at Nagoba

The shortage of the drinking water hit the devotees at inter- state Nagoba jatara before its commencement at Keslarpur in Indravelli mandal in the district. 

The Jatara will begin with the special puja by the Mesram clan Adivasis to the serpentine god Nagoba late night on February 7 and Jatara continue up to Feb 11. 

Mesram clan Adivasi devotees who already reached the temple from various parts of the district and other districts in the state and also bordering Maharashtra, Chattisgarh are facing a drinking water problem at the temple.

As many 1,200 Adivasis along with their 220 bullock carts reached the temple premises till Saturday evening and number may rise to 500 bullock carts by Sunday evening.

Only one drinking water tank was constructed near the banyan trees where the Mesram clan and other Adivasis staying for the last three-days. The borewell motor was damaged on Saturday forcing the Adivasis to travel long distances to collect drinking water for cocking and other purposes.

Large numbers of Adivasi women were seen in queue waiting for their turn to collector water from another borewell in the ground opposite to the place where they were staying and also at the water tank. Two purified water plants were set up but water supply connections had not been given to the plant.

Mesram Tukaram of Chanduri village Utnoor who came with his family said, Neelladi Baga Gosa Unnadi Saru and Adollu Neellu Mosthunnaru (there is drinking water problem) and added that water problem became severe with the electric motor damaged.

Women and children were seen going with small buckets of water to temporary toilets as there was no water supply and some of the girls going for open defecation due to lack of water at the temporary toilets. On the other hand, curing the road in front of the temple with water has just begun.

The members of the Nagoba temple committee expressed displeasure over poor quality of a piece of CC road laid to Govvad and complained  that they were injured when they were walking on the road as the concrete was uneven with no proper finishing.

Temple committee members drew the marks reserving the place for bullock carts parking and to maintain discipline near Govvad. 

Temple chairman Mesram Tukaram said, ‘they were expecting more crowds this time and the number of Mesran clan families which will perform Thoomu (Karma Kandalu) to their ancestors and family members increased to 78 from 75 last year and number of families for ‘Bhetting’( introduction) increased too.

No pushkaralu for Adivasis

Adivasis' wooden deities 

Despite being attachment to the river Godavari since a long time, Adivasis do not practice Godavari pushkaralu and will not take holy dip in the river Godavari as they have no such tradition.

However, Adivasis give bath popularly known as ‘Ganga Snan’ to the wooden idols of their traditional gods like Bheemanna, Jalli Devara and Nagoba in the river Godavari twice in a year.

Adivasi leader Sidam Shambu said, “We do not observe Godavari pushkaralu. We have our own set of customers and traditions on various occasion”.

They Adivasis take their traditional gods in a procession to give them bath at identified local streams and also some places at river Godavari.

“It is must for the Adivasis to take dip in the water along with their gods to purify themselves (Shuddi)”, Sidam Shambu said, adding that they will give bath to their traditional gods in Pushyamas and Vaishakam’.

He said they too do Pindapradan called ‘Thoomu’ to their ancestors and forefathers while giving bath to their gods.

There is a tradition among the Adivasis that they equate their elders who died, to that of gods, by performing rituals in their names on the occasion of giving bath to their gods. This traditional is called ‘Karun’ merging the elders who died into their gods.

Adivasis give bath to their traditional gods at ‘Padmalpuri Kako’ at Rampur in Dandepali, considered to be a sacred place as they believe it was a birth place of Adivasi dance ‘Dandari’  to be performed by the Gussadis on the occasion of Diwali.

Another place was Kalamadugu in Jannaram mandal on the banks of river Godavari. The ‘Kattodas’, traditional priests of Adivasis, will perform rituals. Various clans like Atram, Nitham, Sidam, Mesram among the Gods will perform their traditional rituals to their specific gods.