Arvind Kotwal
The word Pyala literally means a cup and in the Hindu lore it is traditionally associated with Lord Shiva. All of us have heard the popular Hindi film song “jai jai Shiv Shankar, pyalatere naam ka piya…”.
The Pyala,also called khadal or khadain parts of Doda District like Bhadarwah, Bhallesa, Siraj, Marmatetc is one of the most important ceremonies of supplication to Lord Shiva. The mountain folk of the district,being predominantly Shiva worshipers,celebrate Pyala, as it is called in the Bhadarwah region,with utmost veneration.As a religious ceremony it stands for the three-day rituals that are held in honour of the Lord by the devotees marking as either a thanksgiving or seeking His grace and blessings before the commencement of an auspicious occasion like a marriage or mundan or the general wellbeing of the family.
The ceremony takes place on a date which has been decided by the gur; a distortion of the word guru, who happens to be the high priest ofthe ceremony.The prime requirement of the ceremony is the large vessel called math made of bronze and copper alloy looking much like a big water pitcher. On the ordained day the devotee proceeds to the Shiv mandir barefoot to take home the mathwhich is kept in the custody of the shrine.The Math is central to the proceedings as it is the vessel used for making the elixir called pyala that is to be consumed at the culmination of the ceremony.
In the days of yore, the math was brought home by the devotee on his back in a keed; a conical straw basket used by the mountain folk in agricultural operations. The devotee also takes the food grains to be used in making the pyala to the water mill (ghrat) for grinding and has to keep standing there till the grains are ground. Once the math reaches home the bhandaris arrive at the residence of the devotee to initiate the proceedings.
Generally, five in number the bhandaris are the masters ofceremony on whom is devolved the task of organizing and performing various stages of the rituals. They commence the ceremony by boiling several ground food grains viz. kodlo (a millet) maize, wheat, partol (roasted rice) and some honey in varying proportions. To this is also added mildly roasted bhooti bhang (cannabis)and the mixture is thoroughly blended with the help of two wooden staffs. Itis then transferred to the math which is established on a bed of hay and covered with a thal (a large platter) filled with rice. The mixture is left to ferment for the next three days. A small earthen urn is also placed next to the math which symbolizes Lord Ganesha. At the same time an oil lamp (diya) is installed which remains lit during the course of the ceremony. A constant vigil is kept on it and is continuously fed with oil. A feature of the pyala ceremony is that the host and his family during the course of three days do not use soap or comb. Moreover, they have to sleep on the floor on all days.
On Day 2 the pooja of the math is done in the morning and evening.
Day 3 is the most eventful. It begins with the arrival of relatives and nears and dears of the host at the venue. They bring along offerings of wheat flour, jaggery and fruits. The ritual of atholi commences with each person making offerings of the rice and fruit by placing it around the math and adorning it with flowers and religious symbols.Some of the wheat flour offered by the devotees is also added into the math.While making the offering the math is alsosmeared with copious amount of ghee by every person, a ritual called lupri. Elaborate preparations for the ceremony are undertaken by the bhandaris who start making rots (flatbreads made out of a mixture of wheat flour, jaggery, and ghee (clarified butter) and boiling mothe (soya beans) and maize kernels together to make a gruel called kharu.
Later in the day the guru is escorted to the venue by the family members. On his arrival the head of the family welcomes him by washing his feet and he is presented with a new pair of slippers. The guru carries with him a patla or patra; a copper pot which is then filled up by the host and other relatives with rice as a dakshina to him. The guru occupies his assigned place called chowki on an elevated pedestal near the math. Thekalali- the priest who guards the math proceeds to open the math and dishes out a bowl full of the pyala and presents it to the guru who holds it and goes into a meditative state while reciting mantras invoking Lord Shiva’s blessings and returns the bowl to the kalali who mixes it back in the math.The kalalit hen seeks the firman (command) from the guru to distribute the pyala among the devotees. This is taken as the acceptance of the pyala by the Lord whereafter it is dispensed among all those present.There is a great demand for the pyala which can be heady if consumed in great quantity, and people even fill up containers to take it home.
With this the feasting starts which includes a lavish dham-the traditional feast comprising mith-ambal (a sweet-sourpumpkin curry), khatta of boor (sour curry of fried gram flour crispies), madra of dal, rajmah etc.Lamb or goat is sacrificed for the feast though this practice is not followed in some places. A meat free feast is called pani pyala. The rots and kharu is distributed as prasad among all which signals the culmination of the ceremonies. The guru is either served the meal before everyone or after all have had it. Song and dance being an integral part of the culture of the hills, Anjalis; hymns and chants in praise of Lord Shiva are sung all the time to the accompaniment of dance and music. The bhandaris are gifted with new set of clothes etc for the services rendered in organizing the pyala at the conclusion of the ceremony.
The pyala ceremony was traditionally held in the months of September – October when the crops had been harvested and there was abundance of food grains available. However, pyala is now held any time during the course of the year and many practices have also undergone minor changes from region to region.The tradition has been kept alive by people who have moved to Jammu city as one keeps hearing of pyalas being organised here for which the guru and bhandaris are invited from back home. Both a solemn and a joyous occasion, pyala is a unique feature of our intangible cultural heritage.
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