The Unusual Gajan of Kurmun

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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.

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.

Wandering Priests

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

The Onlookers

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

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 Fallen Sage

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

Uplifting

The companions of the fallen sage carried him.

Move Along

The sage held tight as they moved forward.

Camaraderie

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

The Painted Hermits

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

The Common Man within The Sage

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

Leisure

Smoking during the procession.

The Long March

A bunch of sages moving from one village to another.

The Earthy Affair

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

Appearance vs Reality

Three sages smoking in the village outskirts.

Sojourn

Congression of sages during the night inside a temple.

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.

Shaken but Not Stirred

Devotees running through the crowd.

The Ritual

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

For The Bird Eye View

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

Head Man

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

Amidst The Crowd

Performing of a sage while surrounded by 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.

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.

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.