Under the popular museum series ‘Exhibit of the Month’ of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, a traditional object is displayed in the appearance for a whole month. The exhibit for the month of April,2023 'Danteshwari Mai' Gharwa Community from, Bastar Chhattisgarh,is on display in the indoor exhibition building–Veethi Sankul. The 'exhibit of the month' was inaugurated by Bhuvan Vikram Director IGRMS, renowned people present on this occasion. This exhibit of the month had been composed by Dr Ashok Kumar Sharma , Assistant Keeper.
About the exhibit displayed in the exhibition Dr Ashok Kumar Sharma said that the In ancient times, Bastar was ruled by the Kakatiya kings of the Chalukya dynasty. In 1358, during the reign of King Annam Dev, after being defeated in war by the regional kings, the king went to the goddess's place in Warangal and performed rituals, praying to protect and expand the boundaries of his kingdom.
The goddess was pleased and said to follow the king and instructed not to look back. Wherever you turn, from there the boundary of your kingdom will start. The king crossed the Godavari River and started walking towards Bastar, when the king reached at the confluence of the Shankhani-Dankani River, the anklets tied in the feet of the goddess were filled with sand from the river and they stopped ringing, the king thought that the goddess might have left.
As soon as the king looked back, the goddess disappeared. The king established the temple of presiding deity Danteshwari at the confluence of Shankhani and Dankani rivers. She is considered to be the most powerful deity of all the tribes and people living in Bastar.
The main temples of Danteshwari Mai are in Dantewada, Jagdalpur and Bade Dongar. Being the goddess of the royal family, tribals do not install her in their homes. Only the people of Dhakad tribe are the priests. Milk, ghee, rice, coconut, incense sticks, and flowers are offered during worship. The tribes make their wishes and prayers through the priest. In most of the tribal shrines, the deities are not represented by their idols but by doli, vimana, anga, dang, umbrella, chair etc.
All these elements play the role of a kind of moving place of God. In place of the idol, here the deities themselves have been keeping direct contact with the people through Sirha. According to the popular legend, the Goddess herself has given all the instructions regarding the making of the idol to the Ghadhwa, so whatever idol the Ghadhwa makes will be accepted by the people, in Bastar, there is no universally accepted form of idols. Her idol is made sitting on an elephant with a crown on head, hazari flowers in hands, a shield and a skull cap.