A brief study of the sacred groves of Jharkhand and their non-brahmin priests

 Subhashis Das

To know of the various sacred groves of Jharkhand other than the Sarna you ought to read this  profoundly researched paper.

Please click on the following to do so:

https://www.academia.edu/44720613/A_brief_study_of_the_sacred_groves_of_Jharkhand_and_their_non_brahmin_priests

SACRED GROVES OF JHARKHAND

A Sarna in the woods of Jharkhand. 

Sarnas in Jharkhand have predominance of Saal trees as in this grove.

Sacred groves were worshipped as one of the foremost temples of the humankind in the entire sub-continent of India along with the rest of the world in the hoary antiquity and they still are by both the tribal and the non tribal communities. Across the Indian landscape these groves are known with different names as in Ajmer they are known as Kenkri where as in other parts of Rajasthan they are called Vani. In Kerala the sacred groves are known as Kavu and in  Meghalaya they are called Lyndoh.

Both the tribals and non tribals of rural Jharkhand still worship in water holes known as chuiyan, caves called kho, megaliths locally known as sasandiri, birdiri, haragarhi. jaangraha or jaanbagha et al and also in sacred groves known differently with different names as Sarna, Madar or Mandar, Gamhel or Majhi Than in different regions of the state. 

These sacred groves of Jharkhand may not be as large as the ones in the North-East or in Kerala but they can be spotted any where in the state. Surprisingly many of these grove temples as in the district of Chatra house megalithic burials as well.

The different names of these groves are because they are worshipped by different communities of tribals or even non-tribals and these groves house different deities but indubitably these groves in Jharkhand are indeed female/Mother principles.

SARNA

Sarna is a cluster of trees where the adivasis would worship in various occasions. Such a grove among many others must house atleast five saal (shorea robusta) trees also known as sorjum, held very sacred by the tribals.

Many anthropologists believe that the Mundas arrived in Jharkhand first (this claim is ofcourse shunned by the austric Asurs who believe that they had arrived in Jharkhand prior to the Mundas) claiming their khunkatti. The Mundas cleared the woods and left a cluster of the primitive forest as a memory and began worshipping it as their Sarna.

A Sarna in Gurua

The origin of the word Sarna lies in mystery, but the noted scholar on tribal matters,the late D.B.Kisku of Dumka who has authored more than five books on the Santals and is also an authority on tribals' history believes that  the adivasis had migrated from Sumeria/Chaldea where among many other goddesses they also worshipped  Goddess Anna or Anu. 

Arriving in India thousands of years ago they carried Goddess Anna too with them along with other deities who they later 'placed' within their Sarnas. Sarna therefore can be understood to have stemmed form the confluence of two words Sar or the Sal trees and Anna or the goddess Anna. 


                           
                                                     A tribal Sarna in Banjha



Sarna therefore can be regarded as the sacred grove of Sar(sal) trees where the Goddess Anna resides. It is true that the Sarna is a female principle.

Sacred groves are worshipped by the tribals in different parts of India and are known with various names . In the Santal Parganas the Santals regard their grove as Jaher Than where the Santal deity Jaher Era or Goddess Jaher resides. In Jaisalmer these Sarnas are called Oraan. 


Sarnas in Jharkhand are the new target of destruction resulting from mining and other destructive activities on going in Jharkhand and in many other states as no one has respect for the tribal way of life, their temples and heritages.
The priests of Sarnas or Jaher Thans called Pahans, Naike, or Mati etc respectively  are usually tribals as Mundas, Ganju, Asur, Pahadiya or Santals in origin. Worship in a Sarna is conducted primarily during the Sarhul festival of the tribals and even during the Asadiya puja during the Asad months in June apart from other rituals.

MADAR or MANDAR 

Mandars have the dominance of Banyan and Peepal trees.

The non-tribal Hindus also worship in sacred groves in many villages of Jharkhand which they call Madar or Mandar. It could be that the adivasis having moved away from these villages left behind their sacred Sarnas which the Hindus later began worshipping perhaps naming them Mandar. Mandar may be a mutilated form of the Sanskrit term Mandir or temple.

A Mandar called TONGRI BABA in Nagoa. (The site positioned atop a small tongri is at the brink of complete destruction due to stone mining)

A Bankura Horse shaped tree near the Mandar grove.

The sacred temple of quartz stones. Sitting on the cemented platform is the pahan of the alternative open air temple situated within the Mandar grove.

Below. 

Another sacred Mandar grove

 A child pahan (priest) of the Bhuiyan tribe conducting the gachatti rites in the Tuti Mandar by sacrificing a hen after feeding him rice and local hooch (in the bottle).

                                      A non tribal Mandar grove at Banadag

It however may not be true that Sarnas and Madars or Mandars are same. My study shows that these sacred groves were raised by different set of people; as Sarnas have a dominance of Saal trees the Mandar however has prominence of Peepal or Banyan type Hindu trees and these have hardly and tribal Saal.
The priests of Mandars are Ganjus, Bhuiyans etc. The Asadiya Puja too is conducted during months of June and even personal gachatti rituals are conducted in regular manner.


GAMHEL

A GAMHEL IN OBRA.
Gamhels like Mandars comprise non-tribal trees as Peepal, Banyan and Simul etc trees.

A Gamhel in Rola.

Gamhels are sacred groves typical to Chatra and are non tribal in origin. Nothing could be deciphered in regards to the etymology of the term Gamhel.  In such groves there are predominance of Hindu trees as Peepal and banyan etc. What difference is there between the Gamhel and Mandar groves is still not established. The priests of Mandars are Ganjus, Bhuiyans etc. Much in the fashion of ritualistic oblations in a Mandar, the Asadiya Puja too is conducted during months of June and even personal gachatti rituals are conducted in regular manner in such Gamhels.

AILWARE & CHUTO KURIA

Both the Ailwares and Chuto Kurias are sacred groves of the Mal and the Kumarbhag Pahadiyas in the Godda sub-division of the Santal Parganas. The nature of worship in such groves are more or less similar to the rituals conducted by the pahans or the naikes in other sacred groves of the state i.e. sacrifice of cock etc.

JAHER THAN

Jaher Than

JaherThans are temple groves of the Santal tribe. In Purulia and Santhal Parganas these groves are found in profusion as the Santals had arrived here about a few hundred of years ago from Hazaribagh. JaherThans can also be spotted in Hazaribagh and Giridh district; an evidence of their stay here prior to their migration to Saatbhum or Purulia and subsequently to the Santal Parganas. However there are plenty of Santal villages yet in and around Hazaribagh and Giridih along with their sacred groves; the Jaher Than. 

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Much similar to the Mundari and Oraon Sarna a Santali Jaher Than too would comprise of at-least five saal (shorea robusta) trees. 

According to the noted Santal researcher the late D.B.Kisku of Dumka the term Jaher Than is derived from the confluence two austric words Jaher and Than. 
His research has shown that Jaher Than is the abode of Jaher Era. Jaher being the deity while Era in Santali means Goddess. Than suggests place. Jaher Era therefore means the than or the abode of Goddess Era.

MEGALITHIC BURIALS IN GROVES

This megalithic site is housed within a Mandar. The site is called Purni Mandar.

This  Sarna in Banjha comprise of a large megalithic burial within itself.

I have sighted megalithic burials both in Sarnas and Mandars and am yet to see one within a Gamhel. That  I have not perceived a megalithic site in such a grove would not mean that a Gamhel does not hold megalithic burials but only that I have not sighted one..

Megalithic burial sites within a Sarna: Banjha, Rohmar etc
Megalithic burial sites within a Mandar: Purni Mandar, Hurnali etc.