here are some photos of the charak puja festival in banshkali. at the beginning of the festival, the men of the village erect a large wooden pole, lifting it into a hole dug in the ground. bamboo is tied to the top of pole, forming a "T" shape.
the main event of the festival involves a man from the village, who is dressed to represent (to be?) the god shiva. the man is tied to rope that hangs from one of the bamboo arms of the shiva tree. a group of men then pull rope hanging from the other arm, and the top of the "T" spins, so that shiva swings around the wooden pole. at the same time, the people around the pole release birds into the air.
i was told that in former times, the man-as-shiva was not tied to the rope, but suspended by hooks in his back. it seems that the use hooks in this festival is no longer practiced. i was also told that the man-as-shiva is supposed to capture the birds as he swings, and to eat them. but i did not see this happening, and from what i could tell, he seemed to be focusing all his energy on hanging on.
before the swinging, there was a series of sacrifices, involving two goats and some fruits and vegetables - what looked like a large cucumber and an ordinary banana. there was a comic aspect to this, since the cucumber and banana where sliced on the same altar as the goats, and with the same impressive sword - over a meter long.
during the swinging, the women of the village ululated. throughout the festival, a group of musicians played drums and trumpet. after the swinging, there was what may be fairly described as a "dance party."
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