PARSHURAMA OF NIRMAND / BHUNDA FESTIVAL OF NIRMAND.

 

According to a story, the village Nirmand in Outer Seraj

was founded by lord Parshurama, son of the great Rishi

Jamadagni. With a purpose of exterminating the

Kshatriyas of the warring community which had tried

to assert their authority over the Brahmins, Parshurama

is said to have cleared the earth of those valiant men

twenty-one times but they survived, and were able to

preserve their identity. Parshurama is said to have got

the Brahmins settled in Dharmot, Tipri, Trambli, Chansari

and Jagat Sukh in Kullu. The Nirmand Brahmins trace

their lineage to ancestors who originally had come from

Kashi, Garhwal and Kashrnir.

 

PARSHURAMA KOTHI

 

It is said that Birbal, one of the nine jewels of Akbar

the Great, was a native of Nirmand who had left the

village in pursuit of learning and achieving greater

heights in life. He was a Brahmin by caste and he started

his life as an ordinary versifier though not much

educated. His original name was Mahesh Dass. It is

stated that before coming to Akbar he had spent his

early life in the courts of Bhatha and Amber. This may

be one of the reasons that a clan of Nirmand brahmins

call themselves as Bhat, since their forefathers are said

to have come from Bhatha under the advice of Birbal.

Birbal wielded greater influence than Abul Fazal by

virtue of his tact and devotion to the king. He rose from

the ranks by dint of his wit, wisdom and humour. In the

art of conversation, poetry and story-telling and repartee

he excelled all. Many stories and anecdotes are attributed

to him. He was given the title of a Raja and deputed to

various missions to the court of Hindu Rajas. Birbal

exercised tremendous influence on the life and thoughts

of Akbar in favour of Hinduism.

 

Nirmand derives its name from Nirmedh which in

literary sense means "human sacrifice". It is said that

Parshurama having killed his mother Renuka on his

father's command, brought her back to life by performing

filial obeisance. He expiated his crime of matricide by

donating land to the Nirmand Brahmins and presenting

them with the idol of goddess Ambika. He exacted a

promise from them of a yajna every three years in hot .our

of Ambika, who even today is regarded as powerful

deity of the village. And after every twelve years, the

yajna called "Bhunda" involving a human sacrifice was

to be held. This tradition remained unchanged till the

year 1886, when a goat replaced the man under the orders

of a British Commissioner.

 

It is only during the Bhunda festival that the cell

within the temple of Parshurama is opened and his image

and other objects are brought out. For the rest of the

period, the massive doors of the sluine remain closed.

The person who offers himself as "victim" for the

yajna is called the 'beda'. He belongs to a community

whose forefathers had the privilege of offering

themselves for the human sacrifice from the very

inception to this ritual. He is required to plait from bhabar

grass a stout rope about 400 metres long, on which the

"sliding ceremony" connected with the sacrifice is

performed. Originally, no doubt, the 'beda' was just

pushed over to certain death. In later years, he was

probably given a fair chance to save himself. He was

permitted to descend on a wooden saddle down the

heavy rope, supported at both ends by strong up-right

wooden poles. In 1856 Bhunda, the rope broke and the

Devi claimed her last human victim.

For six months prior to the rope-sliding ceremony,

which marks the end of the Bhunda, recitation of mantras

and hymns become daily routine of the priests and

Brahmins within the four walls of Parshurama's temple.

Fifteen days earlier, similar rites are carried out in the

temple of Ambika. During this period the 'beda' is fed

and clothed from the temple money. He is no longer

treated as an ordinary man and is closely identified with

the goddess to whom he is to be offered.

And so, on the appointed day, five persons-a

Brahmin and four goldsmiths;are sent into the cell of

Parshurama. They are required to fetch Parshurama's

image, his water vessel and any other article which they

happen to collect in the darkness. These articles are taken

out for worship and displayed in a well-decorated

compartment in the upper floor of the temple.

 

In the year 1962, a Trimurti of the Brahama, the

Vishnu and the Mahesh, a metal vessel containing the

sacred water collected during the last Bhunda and big

bronze ring were brought out after being kept for many

years in Parshurama's underground retreat. Mr. H.L.H.

Shuttleworth, then Assistant Commissioner, Kullu, who

witnessed the Bhunda in 1919 described this Trimurti as

a fine specimen of metal work of 9th-10th century A.D.,

a period of widespread artistic activity in north India.

In the Bhunda of 1868, an axe weighing 16 kg, a bow

and arrow, some iron bullets and a large shell were

reported to have been brought out. In recent Bhunda

held in 1981, besides the Trimurti, the image of

Parshurama, his puja articles, his hand fan which had

never seen the light of the day earlier were exhibited for

a week-long ceremonies. Display of these antiques,

however, led to an unfortunate episode as next year in

1982, the Trimurti of the Brahama, the Vishnu and the

Mahesh and many precious objects of Parshurama were

stolen from the temple treasury. Out of five accused

three were hauled up but only a few articles of booty

could be recovered from them. The Nirmand Brahmins

claim that the underground retreat of Parshurama is full

of fabulous articles and ancient artifacts.

 

The last three days of the festival are of great interest.

On the first day, a group of temple priests and a selected

batch of Brahmin women visit in turn the five temples

of the village beginning with that of Ambika. This is

symbolic of Parshurama's invitation to the local deities

to participate in the great yajna. On the second day, the

visiting gods from other villages, to whom invitations

had been sent earlier, are received with due respect and

escorted to the courtyard on the ground floor of

Parshurama's temple. Offerings in cash and kind are

made to these deities and free ration is given to the

people accompanying them. In the evening a ceremonial

parade goes round the village, accompanied by men

blazing long wooden torches with the local band in

attendance. This is done with a view to keep the evil

spirits away so that they may not interfere with the

proceedings of the yajna.

 

On the concluding day, amidst religious fervour and

much excitement, the sacred water vessel of Parshurama

is brought out for replenishment from the holy village

spring which appears only at the time of the Bhunda.

The spring subsides and remains dry for the entire period

during which Parshurama remains confined to the

retreat. Strange and inexplicable as it may appear, the

appearance of the spring at the time of the Bhunda is a

phenomenon that revives and strengthens one's faith in

the divine and the mystic.

In the afternoon, hundreds of devotees carry the long

rope from the hut where it has been plaited by the 'beda'

to a site where a goat sliding ceremony takes place.

Meanwhile the 'beda' is taken inside the courtyard of

Ambika's temple and his head is "formally" dedicated

to the goddess. Clad in a shroud, he is carried on the

shoulders by the devotees and escorted in a procession

to the hill top. At this stage the Trimurti and other articles

which had earlier been brought out from the cell, are

taken to the place where the visiting deities are already

assembled. Simultaneously, under the cover of a blanket,

a goat is quickly substituted for the 'beda' and pushed

down to the lower post. It is slaughtered if it reaches the

other end alive. Soon after, the image of Parshurama

and his articles are taken to the shrine. After the visiting

gods have departed, the massive doors are bolted and

locked for another twelve years or so. By evening

thousands of hill folk who had thronged in the winding

streets of Nirmand from far and near disperse, carrying

with them memorable impression of the quaint and

curious ceremonies they have seen.

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