One such major folk festival of Bengalis during this spring season is “Gajan”. This mainly occurs at the end of the month of “Chaitra” when the weather becomes very dry due to the heat of the sun. Shiva is the main deity of Gajan. The word “Gajan” comes from “Garjan”(roar). The monks participating in this festival roar loudly and chant the rhymes of Lord Shiva. These monks are mainly associated with the work of farmers, fishermen, blacksmiths, laborers, etc. In search of this Gajan, I went to Chuchura.
The “Sandeswar Gajan” here is a very old and traditional folk festival. Chunchura in Hooghly district is also historically rich. In 1632, the Dutch established dominance in Chunchura on the banks of the Ganges. It was a trading center of the Dutch East India Company. The Bengalis of this region at that time had very good relations with the Dutch. The fame of “Sandeswar Gajan” of Chunchura dates back to the 16th century. The Dutch Governor gifted two brass drums and a five-faced silver idol of Shiva to this Sandeshwar Shiva temple.
There is a myth behind this incident. Once, during the festival, the drums were being played very loudly in this “Sandeshwartala”(temple complex). As a result, the Dutch governor, who was there at the time, was having difficulty to resting. The year was probably 1803, when the Dutch governor decided to ban the Sandeshwar Gajan festival. Then the local people started protesting. After much protest from the local people, the monks participating in the Gajan to prove the greatness of Sandeshwar Shiva jumped on the sharp arrow from a high platform.
Instead of injuring the monks, the arrow broke into three pieces. After witnessing this incident with his own eyes, the Governor lifted the ban. Because of this incident, he donated a silver five-faced Shiva and two brass drums to the Sandeshwar Shiva temple. Even today, these drums are played in the temple premises during the Gajan festival. The Sandeswar Shiva of Chunchura and the Gajan festival are almost 500 years old. In the 16th century, a Brahmin named Digambar Haldar from this region, established this Sandeshwar Shiva Linga at this place on the banks of the Ganges and started worshipping it. At that time, this place was covered in jungle and was a crematorium.
There is a myth that Digambar Haldar received a message into his dream from Sandeshwar Shiva. The dream had it that Sandeshwar Shiva was the ancestral deity of the Piplai dynasty of Magadha. He was in great enjoyment. But this enjoyment was no longer pleasing to him. He wanted to remain in meditation. So, he would float into the bosom of the Ganges. He should be established and worshipped. This order was duly carried out by Digambar Haldar. He, through the fishermen of this place, cast a net in the river Ganges i.e. the Bhagirathi and recovered the Sandeshwar Shiva Linga. In that net, eight other “Ashta Bhairav Nath” Lingas, an arrow i.e. a trident and a copper plate were found.
The copper plate had the rituals and mantras of this puja written in Pali. Digambar Haldar took the plate to a scholar in Benares to decipher the language. The scholar of Benares deciphered the copper plate, made a copy of it, and gave it to Digambar Haldar. And the scholar kept the copper plate with himself. That was his condition. And there was a prophecy written, where it was said that one day the Ganga here, i.e. the Bhagirathi, would change its course again. Then this temple and its adjacent area would be submerged under water. And the Sandeshwar Shiva Linga, that Trishul and the “Ashta Bhairav Nath” Linga would also be washed away with it and would be established somewhere else.
The 22nd descendant of Haldar family, Shri Gopal Chandra Haldar, who is a chief “Mahanta”(head priest) of this temple and Gajan festival, says, ‘When Baba Sandeshwar was caught in the fishermen’s net, Digambar Haldar wanted to take this Shiva Linga to his house and install it. But after lifting the Shiva Linga, the fishermen were very tired, so they asked for a rest at this Bhagirathi ghat for a while. After resting, when they tried to lift the Shiva Linga again, they found that it was no longer rising. The Linga had broken the net and was almost half way into the ground. Despite much effort, it could not be placed. Digambar Haldar knew that in the scriptures, the Shiva Linga should be installed where it was once placed. Therefore, he installed the Sandeshwar Shiva Linga here, and along with that, he allowed the chief of the fishermen, whose name was Neelmani, and a blacksmith named Raghu to build a shelter. Digambar Haldar performed puja to this Shiva Linga and he established the “Ghat”(earthen pot) of Maa Kamakhya beside the Linga. A few years later, Ghanshyam Haldar of this Haldar family made a Kali idol here next to the temple and started worshipping it. This Kali idol was made of clay.
Every 12 years, a new clay idol is made and worshipped’. For ten days of Gajan, the worship of Maa Kamakhya is done with Shandeswar Shiva. First, an earthen altar for the mother is made, the “Yantra” is placed in it and the “Yantra” is worshipped. Then the “Ghat”(earthen pot) is established. The “Ghat” was established by performing a “Tryambakam Homa”( a Vedic ritual). The rules and mantras of this “Tryambakam Homa” were written on that copper plate. First, the Shandeswar Shiva Linga is worshipped, then Maa Kamakhya is worshipped. Then “Ashta Bhairav Nath”(eight lingas) is worshipped. In the worship of these eight Bhairavs, two goats are sacrificed. They are bathed in that blood. Then the offerings that are made include 8 roasted goat legs, 8 large clay pots of rice, 8 clay lids of lentils, 8 pieces of roasted goat meat, wine and Sandesh(a sort of sweet) with it. When this “Bhoga” is offered at night, all the lights in the temple premises are turned off. Salt, turmeric and chilli are not used in the preparation of this “Bhoga”. In the language of the monks of Ghajan, this “Bhoga” is called “Alan”. All these rules are written on that copper plate.
The monks of Gajan take this ” Bhoga ” home. According to one of them, “If the rice can be dried and kept at home for a year, then Bhairavnatha will protect you from any danger. They are very angry in nature. If you make a slight mistake in the puja, he will absolutely strangle you.’ On April 4th the participants in the Gajan at Sandeswar will first shave, bathe in the waters of Bhagirathi and take up “Sannyas”( a form of asceticism). From that day onwards, they will become the “Shivagotra” for the duration of the Gajan. The monks of Gajan observe celibacy for 15 days. Among them, there is one “Mulya Sanayasi” (main monk). The rest of the monks, including this main monk, take food once a day within 24 hours. Every night they have to observe many rules and rituals. They even have to perform several “Hatha Yoga” rituals. Each of these monks has a name – “Mooli”, “Dwarpalak”, “Hanumanta”, “Nilapatra”, “Madana”, “Bhandari” and “Bhgavati”.
April 5th, the “Ghat”(earthen pot) of Maa Kamakhya will be installed. Then, “Tryambakam Homa”( a Vedic ritual) and the worship of Sandeswar Shiva will continue. The Gajan will begin with that. Shiva’s “Aat Beesh”(special offering to Lord Shiva) begins on April 7th. At that time, Lord Sandeshwar Shiva is decorated with silver and gold jewellery. This “Aat Beesh” lasts for two days. The chief priest of the temple chants about one lakh mantras in a “Dub” ( green coconut). The priest chants 10,000 mantras for each of the monks and 10,000 mantras for the welfare of the people of this region. Then he touches the “Dub” ( green coconut) on the forehead of the main monk of Gajan. At the same time, the monk becomes faint. Then he is picked up and taken to the Ganges ghat(Bhagirathi) and his feet are dipped in the water, and he regains consciousness. The “Dub” is then immersed in the Ganges water. All the mantras of this puja are secret. All are written on that copper plate. Then there is “Neel Puja”. In the morning, Shiva is married to an old mahogany tree in the temple premises. This mahogany tree is the form of “Neelabati”, i.e. Parvati (concert of Shiva).
This marriage ceremony takes place in the morning on April 14th. On this day, the Charak ceremony takes place here in the afternoon. The monks jump one by one from a twenty feet high bamboo makeshift tent. Below, the fishermen community hold nets and the nets contain “Boti”( sharp iron blade with wooden board). The monks have to jump there. The next day, after bathing in the waters of the Ganges river, the monks left the “Shiva Gotra”(Shiva clan) and returned to their own “Gotra” (clan). This Sandeshwar temple is a holy pilgrimage. That is why in 1921, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, coming to this temple premises, inspired the people of Chuchura for the country’s independence.
