Tusu parab
:A Cultural reflection in the wake of Ashok’s
Kalinga Conquest
Tusu a vibrant cultural of kudmi
particularly in the region of junglemahal, princely state of mayurbhanj and
singbhum .The biggest harvesting festival of india gradually changed to
satipratha but the ethnography report study crystal clear about tusu parab a prehistoric ritual which may be
started in the era of Neolithic period
Ethnographic : Discover of other :
conceptual and methodology issue edited by Panchanan Mohanty,Ramesh .C.Malik
and Eswarrapa Kasi .
The kalinga invasion 260 BC details of war
conquest & invasion towards kalinga mention in the Dhauli and Jagugada
(Rock Edicts ) of (BC 269-232) in Pali Language of Brhmi Script .
Tusu center around the harvest (Winter)
mainly comprising of rice harvest which started at the time of agrahayan
and posh of the Indian agricultural
calendar .after harvesting the thrashing and cleaning of therice continue
throughout the month of pos .The work is mostly attended by women both
unmarried as well as married .The rice is also sometimes dehusked manually
under a dhenki (a wooden pestle and mortar functioning through a fulcrum used
to dehusk rice) which is run with the help of two women where one runs heavy
pestle with food and other pushesh the required of the rice into the (mortar )
even in modern times .
It is intresting to note a mention of
similar winter harvest festival in king
Asoka (BC 269-239) Dhauli and Jadugada shilamshashan
(Rock edicts ) sen (P-65) in theses two
rock edicts Ashoka speak about two specific folk festival concerning about
harvesting festival during the month posh .The Dhauli rock edicts (located in
khurdha district of odisha near Bhubaneswar )
Tusu parab:
Tusu is worshipped widely with the symbol
of an concave earthen plate .tusu is placed in a corner of a room decorated
with “alpana” or at the foot of homestead pole (khunti) or on a particular
alter or in niche of the room .The earthen plate is generally painted with the
paste prepared out of rice powder and water and in many cases red and white
lines are drawn on it with vermilion and chalk on the earthen plate new paddy
,dung ,paddy strewn on hemp a of cow dung ,paddy and grass ,mustard and radish
flower ,cowries and mustard etc are
placed in contains places lighted earthen lamp is placed on the dirkha next in
importance to the earthen plate is tusu ghati filled with water .tusu ghati are
two types –earthen pitcher painted with
the face of a women and (2) earthen pitcher having and rice –paste with dots of
vermilion on the month of tusu pitcher
similar item are placed like that of tusu plate one of distinct particularly of
tusu is chaural (differently pronounced as choudal) choral is a chariot like
four legged structure made of strips of bamboo sticks or wood covered coloured
papers .these also vary from one cubit to five or seven cubit in height in
place the tusu plate is placed inside the choral or some places choral .
Tusu puja is performed after digging a
small pond hole filled with water in the courtyard of the house with paddy husk
and flower .
There are some distinct stage of the
festival and worship of tusu
v Sthapana
v Palan
v Jagran
v Bidai
Tusu puja performed with
jhumar dance and song .jagran keeping awake tusu next daily worship upto 30
days was palan ,the last day of the
month pos tusu immersed in the river is called bidai ,sthapana during agrahayan
,generally in the evening of the last day of the month
Of agrahayan of tusu ghati
is place .tusu ghati or earther is placed in a particular corner of the room
painted with the paste of rice powder .This is known as tusu pata or sara pata
.in some places on the day of the placing of tusu eating and catching fish
,preparation of rice –cake making of baskets dung and husk
Since the placing or
sthapana of tusu on the last days of the month of agrahayan tusu puja is performed everyday throughout one
month .during the day time flower offering are made to tusu as offering pounded
rice ,gur,puffed rice etc are placed .everyday during evening a lamp was
lighted near tusu plate and sung by women like
“ Tusu naki etai ghumaiche
Tusu ke uthain basain jagaide
Tusu naki etai ghumache”
After the awaking of
tusu various songs are sung till late
hour when thw women bid good nights they put tusu to bed by songs –this called
tusu Dhulane
“Tusu Dhul dhul dhul go
Age jaye ma hati –ghora
Pachu jaye ma jhari
Jharir chalane mora
Chalite na pari
Tusu Dhul Dhul Dhul go”
After the performance of
the dance song throughout one month the night before pos observed with
speicially .that days is called banuni or banuri dancer and song are performed
throughout that night of course dance almost extinct now a days an earther lamp
burning in front of tusu plate or tusu plate placed in the courtyard and dance
song is performed
Tusu puja the formal use
of cow dung ,tus and earth is the symbol of fertilization the field and the
ceremonial use of cow dung and husk is the remnants of the magic belief of
having full crop out of the empty covering
rice in this connection it may be noted that special formalities are observe
centering round the cow which is the main aid to agriculture during the
festival in many places in true sense
tus means husk of rice and the word tusu is related to tusu both
enthymologically and ceremonly .
It is a folk
festival undoubtly connected the crops
and the tusu festival is worship[ of the agricultural deity “KRISHI LAKSMI “ later on transformation of the social economic
environment and changes in many way occurs
Refernce
1 Dr. Ashutosh Bhattacharya – Bangla lok sahitya
.Vol.1.1962 PP 248-255
2.The journal Bihar &
Orissa Research Society (pp 16-20)
3.Bengal district
Gazetters manbhum (pp 92-95)
4.Ethonographic discourse of
the other : conceptual and methodology issue (page 210-220)
