Mahishasura: The Forgotten Hero Of Bengal’s Indigenous People
Debjyoti Ghosh
During the month of October every year, people of West Bengal celebrate Durga puja with a full festivity. Across the states the localities dress themselves up with new clothes and lights. Where in the northern parts of India, people celebrate Navaratri, in Bengal people mostly celebrate the last five days of the Navaratri in the name of Durga Puja. Though it is quite impossible to trace from when the Bengali population got involved in celebrating Durga Puja which is now no more a religious function, but became a part of an overall culture of the Bengali-speaking people, both in home and in abroad. Unlike the northern and western India where male Gods like Ram, Shiva, Krishna and Vishnu have a greater importance and impact over societal and religious celebrations and life as a whole, Bengal being a place of powerful tantric culture has female Goddess like Durga and Kali to replace the male ones.
There are several archaeological evidences that prove the existence of Goddess Durga since ancient and early medieval times. The Durga Puja of Kolkata’s Shobhabazar Rajbari which is one of the oldest of Bengal had a political importance. It is said that after defeating Siraj-ud-Duala, the then Nawab of Bengal in 1757, Lord Clive asked the famous Zamindar Nabakrihna Dev to make arrangement for a Puja as he wanted to thank God for giving him victory. The chief motive behind this was to gain the Hindu support for the Company rule. The result was Nabakrishna Dev laid the foundation of celebrating Durga Puja in his house which is still practised. During the colonial rule especially from Swadeshi movement onwards, the Durga puja got popularity as a result of merging motherland with divine mother. With the growing club culture in West Bengal, it got further popularity and from a religious festival that was bounded inside the Zamindar or elite houses to people as a community function as “Sarbojonin”. Durga Puja slowly got an inclusive character as participation does not have any religious or caste boundaries though definitely the priestly rituals are strictly performed by the Brahmin males, recently there had been few attempts where women too took up the priesthood, still it remains as an exception.
Goddess Durga has been worshipped in Bengal in the “Mahishasuramardini” form – the slayer of Demon Mahishashura. According to the myth of Devi Mahatmya, Mahishasura was a very powerful Demon king who had the boon of not to be killed by any male and had also the curse of being killed by a woman. He defeated the force of Devraj Indra. Then the Devas went to Brahma-Vishnu- Mahesh seeking help and by uniting all their energy, Devi Dura emerges. After a vicious battle with Mahishasura, Durga finally killed him. The story of Mahishasuramardini became very popular in radio and then in television with the majestic voice of Birendra Kishor Bhadra on the dawn of Mahalaya. Even in the pandals, the idol form of Durga has been presented as Mahishasuramardini, except the theme ones. But this is not the whole story, but only one version of it.
There had been different descriptions of Asura according to Hindu religious texts. Sometimes they have been described as the ‘half brothers’ of the Devas, on some occasions they have been represented as ‘the form of evil’ and the ‘exact opposite of Devas’. But there is a tribe named Asura still living in some parts of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and West Bengal. The Asura people were one of the ancient tribes who had been practising traditional iron forging since a huge period of time. But the new market during the colonial period struck hard to their traditional occupation and had been forced many of them to settled at Darjeeling- Jalpaiguri region as workers at the several tea plantations. Many of them converted to Christianity during later period. For these Asura people, Durga Puja is not a celebration, but a day of mourning for them. As they considered Mahishasura as their ‘glorious king’ who had been defeated in a war with the Aryans. These people followed not to go outside the village during the Durga Puja period as it had been inauspicious for them and something harmful might happened to them. The practice of not taking part into celebration was for a long period which later transformed into commemoration of Mahishasura with His idol. According to the Asura version king Mahishasura was powerful and benevolent ruler who did not shared good relations with the Gods. Thus, the Devtas approached Durga to help them to defeat Mahishasura. One day, when the Asura king was on his way to forging irons, Durga invited her in Drinking and then made him to leave his weapons and finally killed him. This version of Asura katha is not written, but an oral tradition among the Asura people.
Both Munda and Santhal tribes have their own version of Mahishasura. According to the Munda folk lore, once a buffalo found a baby girl deep in the jungle. He brought her to his home and raised her as her child. Time passed and the girl became a very beautiful woman who attracted the local king. The king send his men to take the woman, but the father buffalo smashed them. Ultimately the buffalo had been locked in his house and the king took the daughter. In grief, the buffalo killed himself and the king married the girl. On the other hand, the Santhali version is of the Hudur Durga. According to this legend, Durga was a very powerful king. The Aryan Brahminical forces found it impossible to defeat in battlefield. So they arranged a peace marriage between king Durga and a Brahmin beautiful woman named Devi. It was decided that Devi would kill Durga when he will be unarmed. But when time comes, Devi refused to kill her husband. Instead of her, ten Brahman priests assassinated Durga. The disciples of Durga came to know about his kidnapping and started searching for him making several folk songs.
The matter of Asur commemoration gained heated debate in the parliament in 2016 when in her way to defaming Jawaharlal Nehru University, Smriti Irani, Honourable Minister of Union of India told the parliament that the students of JNU are antinational, and they celebrate Asur Puja. It is quite some time that a section of tribal and dalit students in JNU commemorate Mahishasura hailing him as a hero against the Brahminical Aryan forces. In Malda district of West Bengal, Majhi Pargana Gaonta, an organization observed Hudur Durga commemoration since 2012 every year day after Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami. The organizations did not observe it as a tribal occasion, but the programme for all Mulnivasis (SC-ST-OBC-Religious Minorities). Their clear message to their followers is that no celebration in Durga puja as it was the day of losing to the war against foreign Brahmanical forces. Naturally, the Hudur Durga commemoration and its transformation from a folklore to a social observation shows the recent conscious Adivasi-Dalit assertion in the West Bengal politics and society as a whole.
Debjyoti Ghosh is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Follow us for regular updates!
Telegram
t.me/studentstrugglein
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/studentstrugglemonthly
WhatsApp
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BvEXdIEy1sqIP0YujRhbDR