Ranijita the Spiritual Festival of Jharsuguda

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Distinct traditions and cultures are perceived in various parts of Odisha. Western Odisha is as upscale  in culture and traditions as it  is endowed  with natural resources. It  appends us with our ancestors emotionally   as well as retrace the standard of living of our ancestors. Although many traditions have vanished, some traditions are still in vogue today. The royal "Ranjit Utsav"  exhibit  the infinite abilities and military tactics of the ancient kousal kings to the demos. The presiding deity of the festival,  goddess  Bhubaneswari has become a focal point of enchantment  for all by alleviating the plight of the devotees.

( View of Ranijita festival procession )

RITUAL AND FESTIVAL

The "Ranjit Utsav" is held every year from the Asthami   (8th) to the Dashami (10th) day of the Ashwin Shukla Paksha (Brightening moon period of September and October). On the first day of Festival that is  the sixth day night,  kalasha ( pots)  are filled with water from the pond not far from the royal palace and enunciated in the puja mandapa. Herewith, the Patakhanda (sword) which worshiped as the Goddess Bhuneswari settled in the chapel of the palace after being bathed in pond water.

'Sadasopochara Puja', Abhan, aarti and bhoga are performed   and  according to “chhagabali’ customs, Goats are offered to the goddess Bhubaneswari on the tenth day eventually. The people also get the blessings of mother Bhuneshwari goddess by participating in worship. Expect royal family, The person who got Manasika ( vow ) reach  puja mandap of palace with worship material and bhog in the early morning of tenth  day .
  
Descendants of the Jharsuguda zamindar hold a procession of "Ranjit Utsav" in the afternoon of the  Vijayadasami. The potter community established by Jharsuguda Zamidar in  Sarbahal also participate  in the Ranjita festival. The potters complete the bathing  at dawn of the Vijayadashami and build an idol of the goddess from unbaked clay. The statue is completely covered with Vermillion and dressed in red clothes. The idol of the goddess Samaleswari is propounded in the worship room of the head of the potter's community. The  whole potter's family and relatives attend the puja. According to  traditional rituals, potters worship  the goddess Samaleswari and they came together to have Prasad. They then return to their homes and have luncheon.


In the evening, the potters carry the idol of the goddess Shri Samaleswari and lay the idol of the mother on the altar built on Ranijita field located at the center of purunabasti   in Jharsuguda. Before the goddess is instituted in the Ranijita field area, the yard is cleaned by the potter’s family and decorated with arches all around.

Ranijita festival procession commence on moon rise period of the Dashera  from castle  and travels around the purunabasti .The procession is attended by members of the royal family and their relatives dressed in traditional royal attire and armed with weapons. Prominent personalities from Jharsuguda,  the zamindar's army and musical dance troupes are also flock in gala. In front of the goddess is the music of the musicians  and the sound of the bells is constantly ringing.After worship according to proper rituals at puja mandap of palace, the procession gets under way while   carrying a Patakhanda in the form goddess Bhubaneswari on the shoulders of the royal priest. 

At the moment when  the procession of  Goddess Bhubaneswari exceeds Lion Gate of palace , according to the ‘Chandtipa’ tradition, the zamindar and the festival’s chief characters shoot at the moon of sky. During  the procession, the king's heroic armies show handling of  weapons  and war tactics to residents  in music of musicians.The procession leading  to Ranijita field later , many families sit with  kalash, incense sticks, lamps and other worship items in front of  their house and watch the path of goddess patiently. They appeal to the goddess for  the good luck of their family. The more serious the night, the more  excitement in the youth. The cultural program of the dancers entertain teenagers.
( glimpse of Ranijita Field )

 Goddess Samaleswari converges with Goddess Sri Bhubaneswar at the Ranijita Utsav field.  At this sacred reunion moment, both the goddesses are established at the altar , worship and goats are offered here. Competition begins among people of the slum  the outside of the slum to witness magnificent reunions of both goddesses and the   weaponry playing &  war strategy with their own eyes.

At the end of the Ranijita festival, the goddess Bhubaneswar bids farewell to the goddess Samaleshwari , vacates the field and moves forward. The potters carry the idol of the goddess Shri Samaleswari and return to their home by dispersing  it in a pond located on the outskirts of Buromal in Jharsuguda.

From the 7th century onwards, the "Ranijita Usav" has been celebrated traditionally by the royal family in purunabasti of  Jharsuguda.  Artistic construction of pendal and  magnificent  earth  statues and decorations  also play a key role in fetch commons.
( Royal priest carry 'Patakhanda')
           

HISTORY

In the fifteenth century, Ramaidev, a descendant of pruthibiraj Chauhan of the Chauhan dynasty established the Patna state (Patnagarh area of modern Balangir district) in the province of kousal state. The Patna kingdom founded by  Ramaidev was  recognized by Gajapati of  the odisha kingdom. His subsequent dynasty king Balaram Dev  established the Hirakhand Empire (Sambalpur ) in 1466 AD and was anointed as a king.By his military might, valiant Balarama conquered the neighboring states of Suruguja and built his empire as a large and powerful empire.  As a result, his empire extended from Sundergarh to Kalahandi in the north and Subarnapur to Raigarh of Chhattisgarh earldom in the west. 

During the reign of Balaram Dev (14-1528), the "Ranjit Usav" was celebrated on the Vijayadasami of the Ashwin Shukla Paksha as a memorial to the victory in the war by descendants of the kings located in the various feudal kingdom and zamindari circle of  the Hirkhand. From that day onwards, the royal tradition has been celebrated as a symbol of the bravery of kings in various parts of western Odisha. During the governance of the seventh king of the Chauhan dynasty Chhatrashah Dev, a tiger in the deep forest of Jharsuguda attacked the people for a long time and created an atmosphere of terror. The brave Shiva Singh killed the tiger with the help of a sharp sword and rescued the people from the clutches of the tiger. Chattrasav Dev was pleased with the welfare work of his grandson and granted jharguda yard .

Jharguda means the adjacent  land of the forest. The Jharguda agora consisted mainly of twelve villages.  The villages were  Jharguda, Banjari, Dalki, Kumuda Pali, Badei Munda, Kurebga, Buromal, Sarbahal, Balijuri, Behera Mal, Eka Pali and Debadihi.


Haribhansh Lal was the son of the Chauhan dynasty king Shiva shing and had eight sons. They  all resided in the royal palace of Sambalpur. The last king of Sambalpur, Maharaj Sai, died in 1926.Taking advantage of the situation, the British government tried to rule directly in the kingdom of Sambalpur. Although the British government failed to rule directly in the realm of Sambalpur,  they imbedded  the  widow queen Mohan Kumari on Sambalpur throne and controlled the state indirectly.

 At the time Haribhansh Lal's eldest son Narayan Lal, Ranijita and other brothers were inhabiting in the empire. Queen Mohan Kumari had a desire to place Narayan Singh on the throne as heir. But the cunning British authorities made fight for the throne among the brothers with the help of a council named Bakshi. In fear of being sacrificed in front Goddess Samaleswari by Bakshi supporter group, Narayan Singh, Ranjit Singh and Bhupal Singh fled to the Akasi region of Madhya Pradesh,  Jharsuguda and cahayagiri area of Bihar  respectively.

Queen Mohan Kumari was settled  in Cuttack with Bhavani Singh. The British wanted to take control of other kingdom by attacking them to expand their empire. There was fierce rivalry between the British and the Marathas at that time. Narayan Singh fled to  Jharsuguda on a horse from the Akashi zone to escape British capture in such an unfavorable situation. He was crossing a remote and perilous forest with the help of a horse and the two sharp swords with the blessings of the goddess Samaleswari were shining in sunlight. After a long journey, he  reached the royal gate of jharsuguda in the winter morning.

 Ranjit Singh's brother's son Govind Singh and Sonpur dynasty's son Devaratha Singh were sitting in front of the Lion Gate, talking under the sun concurrently. Narayan Singh got down from the horse near the Lion Gate and the  horse perished   immediately. The two swords which worshipped as the presiding deity  were gripped from the hands of Narayan Singh by Govinda Singh and Devaratha.  Narayan Singh was devastated by the death of his beloved horse.

The two swords which worshiped  as a prime goddess were planted  by Govind Singh in the worship chamber of the mansion. Govind Singh worshiped the sword as the goddess Sri Bhubaneswari, procured from fatherly Narayan Singh as well as started the "Ranijita Utsav" on the Vijayadasami of the Ashwin Shukla paksha  according to the Chauhan dynasty tradition.
( Devotees with worship items )

How to watch festival 

Ranjit Utsav is celebrated on Vijayadasami of Ashwin Shukla Paksha  every year. Visitors gather at Ranijita field to commemorate this annual festival at night. Arrive at Ranijita field on the night of Dashahara and enjoy the procession along with the blessings  of both goddess Bhubaneswar and Samaleswari .

(Video of Ranijita Festival)

Click on the link provided below to see the location of Ranijita field on Google Maps.
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Written By :- Rohit Kumar Lohara
                       Purunabasti, Jharsuguda

Input from :- Govind Chandra Tripathy
                           Purunabasti, Jharsuguda
Location: Purani Basti, Jharsuguda, Odisha 768201, India

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