Tatisilwai, a usually quiet and nondescript suburb of the state capital, was all abuzz on Friday as the 110th edition of the Navami Dol Mela came to town. The century-old fair marks the official end of the Holi festivities in the region, and is a curious mix of religious beliefs and public entertainment.
As the sun began its descent and dusk gathered over the tiny settlement of Mankidhipa on Thursday, clanging temple bells rang out to indicate that the Radha-Krishna archana was underway. Presiding over the religious ceremonies was Manki Shatrughan Shahi, whose family has been the idols’ custodian for over a century now, and the venue was the temple in the family homestead, where the idols are housed rest of the year. After the worship was complete, the idols were taken out in full regalia to the accompaniment of beats of massive drums (dhol and Nagara) and installed within the temple in the mela area.
According to Shahi, “For over 100 years now, this fair has been held every year in Mankidhipa on the ninth day after Holi called the Chaitra Krishna Navami. My ancestors used to preside over the worship ceremonies earlier, and every successive generation has carried this forward. The beginning of the fair is signalled when the lord’s Dol (palanquin) arrives at the fairgrounds, and ends when he departs to the temple.” The word ‘dol’ literally means a swing and idols of lord Krishna and Radha are placed in a little swing-cradle-palanquin decorated with flowers and taken to the fairground in a procession, during which people take turns to carry the Dol, as doing so is considered especially auspicious.
The one-and a-half day fair drew a large crowd of largely rural people from the surrounding areas, most of whom made a beeline for the stalls selling utensils and other household accessories.
The fair also attracts acrobats and stunt-men from other states such as Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. “I have come 3-4 times to Jagannathpur, but this is my second time at this fair, and many more people have seen my show than last year,”said Srijesh, an acrobat and stilt-walker from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. “We attend -3-4 melas a year in Jharkhand, and this one is among the main earning ones,” added Tajuddin, a member of a group of street performers from West Bengal’s Midnapore district. “last year there were two ‘khelawala’ from Rajasthan also. And there will be Nagpuri and Hindi cultural programmes in the evening before the idols embark on their return journey” supplied Shahi
The other big draws were the rides, including ferris wheel, merry-go-rounds and smaller amusements for little children.
Interestingly, apart from the traditional staples, preferences of the current generation were also met with options like Boogie Woogie, Orchestra sessions etc.
The food stalls, which were choc-a-bloc with sweets and savouries of various kinds, also drew a large crowd of hungry merry-makers who sampled the goodies unmindful of the buzzing flies and intense heat.
Due to the ever-swelling numbers at the fair, the arterial Ranchi-Purulia Road was extremely crowded the entire day, and apprehending long traffic jams, the district administration had deputed a contingent of security men to prevent any untoward incidents and facilitate smooth flow of traffic. A group of local youth volunteers were also actively involved in managing the crowd at the various attractions.
As the twilight gave way to night, the fairground was bathed in many-coloured lights and the temple area began buzzing with the preparations for the divine return journey.
A number of oblations were offered to the deity as hymns were chanted and devotional songs filled the air, and the idols were seated on the Dol amid a cloud of fragrant incense smoke.
Finally, with much fanfare accompanied by drum beats and trumpets, Radha and Krishna returned to their temple-residence within Shahi’s homestead, with a promise to revisit devotees on the same day next year.