The Gajan festival or “Shiber Gajan” in West Bengal is actually linked to the agricultural community. They actually pray for the rains and better harvest. This festival is celebrated mainly on the last two days of the month of Chaitra(name of Bengali month, 15th March to 15th April), just before Bengali New Year. Which falls around the mid of April. According to the wise men Lord Shiva, Dharmathakur are closely related to this festival. Rituals like dance with human skulls, body piercing, jhaap(jump and run with sword) and fire plays are seen during this time. According to villagers, these practices have been going on for more than a hundred years.

I know about this Gajan festival from my childhood. It is celebrated mostly in rural Bengal and in some parts of Kolkata city also. But the special rituals like dance with human skulls, body piercing, jhaap(jump and run with sword) are practiced mainly in rural areas. So to make a project on this subject I went to the village named Kurmun, at Burdwan district of West Bengal, India in the month of April of 2018.

Proclamation of Gajan

Traditional drummers are performing through the Kurmun village during the time of Gajan festival.

Proclamation of Gajan

The Popular Religion

The concept of Gajan is depicted through this pyramidal stage, which is topped by lord Shiva and Durga representing the Shaiva and Shakti cult. The popular regional gods are placed in the middle strata. Whereas the lowest echelon is reserved for the idols representing the common mass.

The Popular Religion

Wandering Priests

The priests were performing rituals for the Gajan festival from one village to another village.

Wandering Priests

The Onlookers

The double storied mud house was used as a vantage point for watching the Gajan procession.

The Onlookers

The Sage with Sword

As part of the Gajan festival this hallucinated sage runs towards the crowd with an open sword, the touch of which, according to tradition brings good luck.

The Sage with Sword

The Fallen Sage

The heavily intoxicated and exhausted sage fell on the ground amidst the crowd.

The Fallen Sage

Uplifting

The companions of the fallen sage carried him.

Uplifting

Move Along

The sage held tight as they moved forward.

Move Along

Camaraderie

The fallen sage is then being carried away by his companions.

Camaraderie

The Painted Hermits

After running with the swords the Gajan sages walk through the interior villages asking for alms.

The Painted Hermits

The Common Man within The Sage

A sage was looking for his personal object between the journey from a village to another.

The Common Man within The Sage

Leisure

Smoking during the procession.

Leisure

The Long March

A bunch of sages moving from one village to another.

The Long March

The Earthy Affair

The bare feet never stopped before the completion of all the ceremonies.

The Earthy Affair

Appearance vs Reality

Three sages smoking in the village outskirts.

Appearance vs Reality

Sojourn

Congression of sages during the night inside a temple.

Sojourn

The Auspicious Gathering

Enthusiasts from nearby villages and far cities gathered in the temple area of Kurmun village to witness the rites & rituals performed during the Gajan festival.

The Auspicious Gathering

Shaken but Not Stirred

Devotees running through the crowd.

Shaken but Not Stirred

The Ritual

A bunch of sages rolled on the ground while performing one of the ritualistic ceremonies.

The Ritual

For The Bird Eye View

Villagers gathered on the roof of a house to get a better view of the ceremony.

For The Bird Eye View

Head Man

The freezing moment of a running sage who held a decomposed head in his hand.

Head Man

Amidst The Crowd

Performing of a sage while surrounded by the crowd.

Amidst The Crowd

The Infant Corpse

One of the sages collected an infant corpse last night from the burial ground and showed it to the public while performing.

The Infant Corpse

Head held High

The brutal ritual of showcasing the heads, body parts of corpses and decomposed bodies of infants as trophies are the main element of Charak festival in Kurmun which makes this place different from the rest of Bengal.

Head held High

Dancing with Head

During the final stages of the festival the intoxicated and highly spirited local sages carry the decomposed heads of corpses, collected from undisclosed sources.

Dancing with Head

Frightened

A little girl got frightened while coming across the man with the mutilated body part.

Frightened

In The Meantime

A candid moment of a sage taking a break in between the performance.

In The Meantime

The Rendezvous

The believers tried to capture the holy moment.

The Rendezvous

Until We Meet Again

The devotees and enthusiasts left no stone unturned to catch the last few glimpses of the Gajan festival of the year.

Until We Meet Again

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