Traditional 'Charak Puja' turns a Courtyard affair

86-years old Hemanta Hrishi Das, a veteran “Sanyasi” broke into tears when he was denied permission to perform the traditional Charak Puja this year. Hemanta who was instrumental in organizing one of the biggest such Pujas at Pratapgarh Hrishi Colony, located in the city peripheries of Agartala for the last 30 years, doomed to disappointment after the police reaction. 

He had to finally retreat and resolved to seize the whole arrangement into a courtyard affair. In his own words, “It is for the first time in the last 60 years, the time when the Puja started here in Pratapgarh, it is being organized with such a minimal arrangement”.  

Similar was the experience at Camper Bazar, another locality adjacent to Agartala city where Charak Puja was being observed with pomp and gaiety from the year 1954.

Speaking to this reporter, Raj Kumar Das, head of the family that was performing the Puja as per their ancestral order, said, “The social distancing protocols and the nationwide lockdown, do not permit us to perform the Puja as it is performed usually. We seek pardon to lord Shiva for not being able to perform the Puja as per the standard scale”. This family also resolved to perform the Puja in their courtyard only.

Notably, in Tripura, the last day of the month of Chaitra (the last month of the Hindu calendar), every year, has been dedicated to Lord Shiva—the incarnation of Ardhanarishvar. In almost every nook and corner of the state, this day is observed as “Charak Puja”—a folk ritual performed by a section of the Bengali community people since time immemorial. 

Every year, this festival has been organized in a gigantic manner in the participation of people from almost every section of the society. This Puja is basically dedicated worship to Lord Shiva in which the “Charikas”—the performers of the ritual, go through strict penance and physical stress. 

The Charak, which comes from the word 'chakra' or the wheel, represents the movement of the Sun. It is symbolized by a high pole, from which a devotee is hung. The person then swings around the pole with the help of a strong rope. Charak Puja is performed by usually ten to twelve members, including both men and women.

Huge numbers of people gather in a field where the chanted and worshipped tree is erected. The “Charikas” perform some impossible tasks such as walking over the heated coal surface, burying alive and edged weapons being used on various body parts to please Lord Shiva, as the “Charikas” believe. The most exciting part of the Puja is hanging of Charikas to the almost 15 feet long Charak tree using hooks. The excitement of the devotees reaches an apex when they come down without even having a mark of the wound on their bodies. 

Narayan Shil, a Charika taking part in these rituals since his young hood, said, “We have been taught by our spiritual masters to continue this practice. Every year, we come out of our houses collecting donations wearing attires of Hara (Lord Shiva) and Gouri (Parbati). But, this year, due to the lockdown we cannot collect donations. In fact, we cannot cover all the houses of our locality. In order to maintain the ritual, we visited a couple of houses adjacent to our house”.

Hemanta Hrishi Das, however, explained that this Puja was first started by Ram and Laxman and in the aftermath, it continued to be followed by others. “It was lord Shiva who directed Ram and Laxman to start worshipping him on this earth. Since then, this Puja has been observed by a certain order of Sanyasis. The Charak Puja is far different from other Pujas and it has a greater impact on humankind”, Das added. 

Meanwhile, Raj Kumar Das said, the traditional Puja of his family is originated to their ancestors born and brought up in Comilla Bangladesh. When they shifted to Tripura in the year 1954, it continued to be observed here. “Though this Puja belongs to our family, every one of our locality comes forward in solemnizing this religious event. We have unanimously decided to maintain the strict restrictions imposed by the government. Thus, I have fenced the entrance of my house so that no one could enter during the Puja” Rajkumar added.