The Rarh kudmi Officials : Tusu porob of Aboriginal Kudumi community

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