Sambalpur Sital Sasthi: The Fest of Shiva and Parvati's Wedding

 Sambalpur Sital Sasthi: The Fest of Shiva and Parvati's Wedding

Sambalpur Sital Sasthi

 Table of Content

1. Introduction to Sital Sasthi Sambalpur

2. The Festival of Sital Sasthi

3. The History of Sital Sasthi Sambalpur

4. The Folklore of Sital Sasthi Sambalpur

5. Conclusion

 Introduction to Sital Sasthi Sambalpur

Shitalasasthi, also known as Sital sasthi, is a big festival for Utkal Brahmins (also known as Odia brahmans) and Aranyaka Brahmins (also known as Jhadua brahmans) that celebrates the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. It began in Sambalpur 400 years ago, when the king of Sambalpur brought Utkal Srotriya Vaidika Brahmins from brahmin sasana villages in the Puri district. The oldest of these Brahmins are the people who live in Nandapada. First, they began Sitalsasti Utsav. This Hindu festival looks like a carnival, and people and artists from all walks of life take part to make it more beautiful and show the true colours of life. Every year, it is held on the sixth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyestha, which is the last day of summer. The goal is to call on the rain gods to bring relief from the hot sun. During carnival time, people come to Sambalpur from nearby states and even from other countries.

 The Festival of Sital Sasthi

One chosen family plays the roles of Parvati's father and mother and gives Shiva Parvati's hand in marriage. Shiva is "Swayam Bhu," which means that no one is his father or mother.

Shiva and the other Gods and Goddesses who are part of his wedding start from his temple. Hanuman and Nrusingha (Nrisimha) take charge and lead the procession to the bride's house. The Goddesses' family welcomes the barat procession (as we do in our marriages). The gods are kept in a beautifully decorated palanquin, the "Kanyadana" ceremony is done by Parvati's parents and other relatives, and the marriage is made official. The next day, Parvati leads the procession back to the temple. This is called "Mandir Pravesh." The main things to see at this carnival are folk dance, folk music, different kinds of other dances and music, and different floats.

In the past, the carnival was held in two places in the city of Sambalpur: Jhaduapada and Nandapada.

Later in 1972, people who lived in the Mudipada area put on another carnival. A Joint Coordination Committee is now in charge of all of the Carnival's plans. Today, the Sitalsasthi carnival can be seen on every street in the city, and it has even spread to the nearby towns of Bargarh and Jharsuguda. Because of this, it has become one of the most important celebrations in Western Odisha. 

The History of Sital Sasthi Sambalpur

 Sambalpur was ruled by King Ajit Singh, son of Chatra Sai, of the Chowhan dynasty (1695–1766). As a Vaishnava who used to spend a lot of time in Puri, he was a man of strong faith. He wanted to make Sambalpur a place of worship based on the Vaidik line. In the past, there were no Saiva Upasak Brahmins in the Sambalpur kingdom. Saiva Upasak are people who worship Lord Shiva. Several Utkal Srotriya Vaidik Brahmin families from Puri were asked by King Ajit Singh to move to the Sambalpur Kingdom. They first lived in the area around Nandapada in Sambalpur and Ajitpur Sasan (present day Sasan Village). Several temples were built by the king in the area. Ajit Singh knew that in the past, Sambalpur was known as a Saktipitha, where Shiva and Shakti were worshipped together. Dewan Daxina Ray told the king that he should build temples for the Astha Sambhu in the area and give a lot of money to them. The temple at Huma, called "The Leaning Temple of Huma," was rebuilt by King Baliar Singh on the ruins of an old temple built by the Ganga Vamsi king Anangabhima Deva-III. Later, Ajit Singh built seven more temples for the Sambhus. (Kedarnath of Ambabhon, Viswanatha of Deogaon, Balunkeshwar of Gaisama, Mandhata of Maneswar, Swapneshwar of Sorna, Bisweshwara of Soranda, and Nilakantheswar of Nilji).

In the villages of Puri and Sasana, the two most important festivals are Sitalsasti and Rukmini Vivah. The Utkal Brahmins set up their main god, Lord Balunkeswar, in Balibandha, Sambalpur, and started the Sitalsasti Jatra there with the help of the king. Later, Aranyaka Brahmins who mostly worshipped Jagannath and followed the Vaishnava religion built the Loknath temple at Jhaduapada and started their own Sitalsasti Jatra.

On the Jyestha Sukla pakshya Panchami, King Ajit Singh went to Sambalpur to see the Sitalsasthi Jatra/Yatra, which was the wedding of Hara and Parvati. God and Goddess are married, just like people are. Ganthla Khula, Patarpendi (Nirbandha), Guagunda (Invitation), and Thal Utha (Beginning) are all strictly followed. As Jagannath is treated as a Ganadevata during the Ratha Yatra, so too are Shiva and Parvati treated as Ganadevata during this festival.

The Folklore of Sital Sasthi Sambalpur
 

As shown in the Shiva Purana, Sital sasthi is a time to celebrate the wedding of Gouri and Shankar. When Tarakasur was terrorising and destroying the world (Swarga, Martiya, and Patala), all the Devatas went to Vishnu to find a way to stop him. Vishnu lost because Bramha had made a promise that Tarakasura could only be killed by Shiva's son. Tarakasura knew that Shiva was heartbroken after his first wife, Sati (Dakshayani), died. He knew that Shiva had shut himself off from the world, lived a life of austerity in the wilderness, and would never have a son. He also knew that Shiva was in deep meditation. Vishnu told all the Devatas that they should go to Shakti and ask her to be born as Parvati. On the request of all the Devatas, Shakti reincarnated as Sati (Parvati). She was born as Himalaya's daughter and grew up to be the most beautiful young woman in the world. Narada told Parvati many stories about Shiva and got her to want to get married to him. Parvati went into meditation, but Shiva's meditation could not be broken even after many years. Again, all of the Devatas went to Vishnu to ask for help. Vishnu told Kamadeva to throw a love arrow at Shiva, so he took his bow and did so. Shiva woke up and opened his third eye. As a punishment, he burned Kamadeva, who then turned into Ananga. But because of this, Parvati was able to finish her meditation.

Shiva wanted to find out how much Parvati loved him before they got married. He came back as a batu brahmana, which means a short Brahmin, and told Parvati, "Oh! Parvati, you are young and pretty. Why do you want to marry an old man who lives in a cemetery and wears tree bark and snakes as jewellery? I know that Maheswara (Shiva), the man you want to marry, is half-naked and looks ugly. No one knows for sure what his "kula" and "gotra" are, and I don't see how you could ever be happy with a wanderer like that. When she heard what the batu brahman had to say, she got angry and said, "Oh! Brahmana, you have read so many shastras, but you still don't know anything about Shiva. How stupid are you? I don't care if he is old or young, ugly or beautiful. I'm not going to marry him because he's handsome; I'm attracted to him because of what he knows. I won't marry anyone else but him. Shiva showed up as his divine self when he had passed all of his tests. They got married on the Jyeshta Shukla paksha Panchami.

 Conclusion

 According to the "Shiv Purana," the day of Sital Sasthi remembers when Shiva and Parvati, the divine couple, got married. This day has been celebrated for a long time. Legends say that Parvati, who was an incarnation of the goddess Sati, did a lot of "jap" and "tap" to get Lord Shiva to marry her. On the day of "Jyestha Shukla Paksha Sasthi," Shiva was happy and content with her austerity, and Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were united in marriage. Then Lord Kartikeya was born, who killed the demon named Tarakasura later on. Sital Sasthi is also known as Lord Shiva and Parvati's "Monsoon Wedding" because it is the start of the monsoon season. Lord Shiva's strict austerity is a metaphor for the intense heat wave that comes in the summer. On Sital Sasthi, people, especially farmers, celebrate the start of the rainy season with this holy wedding.

Sital Sasthi Videos 


 


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