The Chattisgarh and Kaushal civilizations
Table of Contents
Tatanagar, # April, 1984
Baba was walking at night where He was staying in Tatanagar.
The Chattisgarh and Kaushal civilizations are located in the upper part of the Mahanadi river valley while the Utkala civilization is located in the lower part of the Mahanadi river Valley.
Because of the close proximity of these 2 civilizations, the Oriya of Sambhalpur and Chattisgarhi have similarity.
- People have a common cultural heritage.
For example, the women of both the regions wear the sarees in a similar style, a style having similarity with the style of Bengal.
The intonation and pronunciation of Rengli and Chattisgarhi are also similar, while the Halvil dialect is a blending of Chattisgarhi and Bengali
The people from Rarh migrated to this area during the 12th century.
A blending of races, cultures and languages occured which led to the emergence of the Halavi dialect.
In Bastar people speak Gaudi dialect, which is a blending of Chattisgarhi, Oriya and Telugu.
The influence of Oriya on the Modia caste, who speak Gaudi dialect, is more significant than the influence of Telugu and Chattisgarhi.
The Halvi-speaking people are a bit more cultured than Modis.
Halvi speaking people originally lived in Rarh, hence their facial features resemble those of Bengali people.
Halvi-speaking people do not like to live at places over 1500 feet high because of their food habits.
Attempts to rehabilitate Bengalis at Dandakaranya failed miserably because of this peculiar characteristic of the Bengall ancial psychology.
The Bengalees live at Siliguri, but not near the ten gardens which are located at a height of 1700 feet. Lepas and Bhutias live at this height, but not Bengalees.
Bhumila Bengalis live at an elevation of less than 1500 feet, while Ranthal tribals can live above 1500 feet. Santhals were the original inhabitants of the Champu valley of Chattisgarh, and migrated to Harh about 250 years ago. Arrangement for reloca- tion and settling people should always be made according to their social psychology and food habits.
9 April, 1984
Baba visited today Dalma hill 35 kilometers from Tata.
A Shiva temple with Shiva linga made of stone is situated here. Several Brahmans reside in the nearby village.
Water is offered to this deity during the month of Shravana (August). But the priest is ignorant of the rituals observed in the temple.
The temple is not ancient and so there is nothing historical in it.
Lying below a banyan tree we found a small nude idol with 5 faces in the form of a person sitting in cross-legged posture.
The idol had caps on its heads and long ears, but there were no ornaments on its body. A type of Shiva-linga and a corresponding Gauri Pittha were also found nearby.
Baba observed:
The small nude idol was an idol of Panchaphana Tirthankara, a Jain deity.
The idol could not have been a Kartika deity because they are 6-faced deities.
It could not be Hindu-Shiva because the 5-faced Hindu-Shiva has 3 eyes, wears a tiger skin and is never depicted nude.
Hindu Shiva is also accompanied by an idol of Parvati.
If Parvati is not present the idol could be of Ardha Narishvara Shiva, half male and half female idol.
None of the characteristics were in the small nude idol of Panchaphana Tirthankar. The presence of a large Shiva linga and Gauri Pitha in the viscinity confirms that it was a Jain deity and that the region had a long period of Jain influence.
There was no a sacred thread around the idol. This:
- indicated that it was against Vedaism
- is further evidence that it was a Jain deity of Panchaphan Tirthankara.
People belonging to the Singh munda (Bhaumika), Majhii (Santhal), Mahato, Sudu (Mundle) Naga (Kayastha) Saraka and and Garaih communities live in this region.
People of the Doma caste also live here and make things from bamboo.
They some times act as priests and call themselves Kalindis, Kalindis are Jains and Buddhists who still worship at Jain and Buddhist tem ples and hold the title ‘pundita’.
At some places breasts have been put on the Panchaphana idol and people started worshipping it as Manasa devi (goddess).
However, Shankaracarya:
- converted Joytirlinga or Jain Shiva into a Hindu-Shiva
- named the 12 lingas or Dvadasha liunga, as in Somnatha, Mallikanatha, Mandaleshar, Vishvanatha, Tarake shwara and Rameshvara, who were all Jain Jyotilinga.
The civilization around the place dates back 2,500 years old.
A Kali temple should be located somewhere in the near vicinity.
The Singhmunda tribe speaks Bengali while other tribes speak their own tribal dialects.
The staple food here is horse gram and cooked rice.
Horse gram is a valuable food and is good for the liver and kidneys.
There are 3 varieties of horse gram:
- white
- black
- red
The red one is the most nutritious.
Harsh gram does not dissolve if it is cooked into pulse. Sometimes it is cooked with rice.
Tea contains tanic acid, which is static and bad for the mind and body.
Family persons may drink in small quantities.
However. if it is taken in larger quanlity it is detrimental for meditation.
Cannabis Indica or Ganja also adversely affects the mind because it creates a disturbing stir in the brain.
The same night, while walking where He was staying, Baba made the following comments:
Tribals live in different parts of India, like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Meghalaya and other northeastern areas.
They have distinct, ethnological, and linguistic characteritics.
Many tribals know their own dialect and language spoken most widely in their region.
The people living in the Rohtas district of the Bhojapuri area belong to the Austric tribe.
They speak their own dialect but they also speak Bhojpuri as their second mother tongue.
Tharus, who reside in the Bhojpur area of Nepal speak a non Aryan dialect and Bhojpuri.
In Bengal the Munda, Homunda and Uraon speak Bengali as their second mother tongue.
In Tripura and Mizoram, the people of Jamatia and Chakma tribe speak Bengali as their second mother tongue.
The use of a second mother tongue changes from tribe to tribe and varies according to the language spoken in the region in which the tribe lives.
In Rarh, the Singmundas ore Austrico-Mongoloids, while the Bauris and Dakras generally have Bengali fathers and Austrico-Mongoloid mothers.
There is little Negroid influence in the Singhmunda, Bauris and Dakras.
Their complexion is not jet back but light brown.
They speak Bengali as their first mother tongue.
The Bagdis live in Birbhum, while the Oraon tribe lives in Ranchi and Palamu and belong to the Austrico-tribals.
There has been a blending of the tribal cultures of Negroid or Dravidian race. In Bengal, Oraons were the main Tamil, Coorg and Telugu.
Transported tribes live in the region from Ranchi to Sunderban.
The Como tribe live in 24 Parganas.
A great blunder was committed during the British rule when these tribes were dissociated from their cultural legacy in the name of religion.
A policy of cultural subversion and tribal dislocation was carried out by the British in the entire northeastern region of India.
Lack of historical knowledge has caused widespread cultural alienation in India.
Tribals living in this cultural region should be brought into the mainstream of collective life without destroying their cultural specialities.