Deliverance or Bohrani

The Muria tribal society celebrates the festival of Reachani or Bohrani during the transition period when one season is departing and the season after it is coming. Bohrani means to depart. The Muria tribal society gives equal respect to any deity, as if they are their gods too. Sending away unwanted gods and goddesses from the village is called Bohrani. The Muria tribe believes that unknown and unwanted gods and goddesses come to the village for any reason. When they do not realize their identity and their arrival, which reduces their honor, then these gods bring all kinds of misery to the village. Honoring such deities before any untoward happens, sending them away from the village is called Bohrani. The deities of tribal Muria society have a fixed place and they are served daily, but there are some gods who have no place, they keep wandering. These nomadic gods unknowingly come to the village to gain respect. If unknown gods are not respected, they cause all kinds of troubles. It is the Muria tribal society that departs from their village.

The tribal Muria society considers the diseases occurring in the village as the wrath of God. When the disease spreads, he believes that his gods are angry with him about something. As a result, the disease has spread in the village. He then takes measures to please them. This remedy is made to sit on the head and the deity mounted on it is asked what are the reasons for the spread of this disease? The deity mounted on the siraha explains that "Rihri" or "Fohri" have come to the village, due to their lack of respect, this type of disease is spreading. The tribal Muria society calls unwanted gods and goddesses as Rihri or Fohri. This is the code language of the gods mounted above the head. Only the gods riding on the head tell them the ways to send them off. Then they are sold. Whenever there is an outbreak of disease in the village, the tribal Muria society celebrates Bohrani according to the instructions of the deity, but mainly the festival of Bohrani is celebrated three times a year. The first is celebrated in the month of Kwar, the second in the month of Phalgun and the third in the month of Ashadha.

The Muria tribal society believes that all the gods and goddesses of Bastar are invoked for the world famous Dussehra. This invocation is considered as a royal decree, in which eight to ten people from all the parganas are included with their respective gods. This is called Muria Adivasi Samaj Seva. When these people return to the village with their gods after celebrating Dussehra, then these unwanted gods and goddesses also come with them. If they are not given well and sent off, then they spread various kinds of diseases in the village and cause trouble. This is the reason that the tribal society respectfully sends them off to the village. As is the tradition of tribal society, he does any work by asking his deity. Even to send him off, his gods tell him what offerings to these unwanted gods will please him ?. In which vehicle and in which direction will they be sent off? According to the instructions of their deity, the Muria tribal society arranges those materials. Immediate arrangements are made to sacrifice unwanted deities.

There are four "sanghs" (boundaries) in the four directions of the Muria tribal villages. In one direction, the deity is told to be sent off on the head of the gods. Aarud Dev also tells which vehicle to send them off with a cart or doli. Often both are asked to leave. The reason is that the goddesses are sent away in palanquin (doli) and the deities in "gadang" (cart. There are unwanted gods and deities. A cart or doli is made from discarded materials. For example, torn basket, torn sack or torn bag are used for doli. Similarly, the trunk of the banana tree or the peel of the sal is used to make the cart. Apart from this, banana, coconut, kumhada flower, lemon, red, betel nut etc. are arranged to worship unwanted gods.

Bohrani was called a festival because the whole village participates in it. A brief meeting of the village is held before celebrating Bohrani. The people involved are also told the place along with the day and time of celebrating Bohrani, and some people are asked to make the necessary preparations. On the appointed day, people from all the houses arrive with "Rosoi". This rossoi contains three donis, one contains lentils, the second contains rice and the third contains turmeric, oil. Muria tribal society calls rice, dal, vegetable due for work as rosoi and service rice being only rice. This rosoi is given to Mati Gayata. All the materials are collected by the village steward in one place. At this time, the heads of the village are raised by the head of the god, they tell how many goddesses and how many gods there are. These unwanted gods are invoked. Mati Gyanyata duly worships them and offers them banana, coconut, kumhada flower, lemon etc. as told by the deities mounted on the head. If there is a command to sacrifice, then it is also given.

After worshiping in this way, amla leaves are made like a round ball on those deities, they pour it out. After draining, it is thrown in all four directions. At this time, there is also a tradition of pouring iron stones on these deities. In Gondi, the sphere made of amla leaves is called "Mudang" and the iron stone is called "Kachkal". After worshiping unwanted gods, prayers are offered to those deities. "O God, you all came to our village, gave us the opportunity to serve, so we consider your favor. If all of us villagers have made any mistake, then forgive us. We were unaware of you, with great pleasure you left our village. There should be no trouble in our village, please bless us. Items for food are on your way, go away from our village. After praying in this way, it is tested whether this unwanted god is pleased or not? For this, rice is interrupted from the chick. When the chick has eaten rice, it is understood that the deity is pleased, otherwise the deity is asked again and the remedy is taken according to his instructions. After this, turmeric-oil, rice, empty two of lentils, coconut peels, etc. are kept in the gadang (cart) or doli and left outside the village limits.

It is pertinent to mention here that permission is sought from the deity mounted at the head of the village to use rice and dal. At first he refuses. Says, "This is for those gods, you cannot use it" After much persuasion, the gods agree and allow them to cook and eat outside the village limits. These devas are released outside the sangha (boundary), which is the boundary of another village. The person who sees it informs the responsible people of another village. The news of the arrival of these unknown gods is also reported from Devyoga. Sometimes, when the deity comes, the god on the head tells that "Pardeshin has come. The arrival of these deities is also realized in dreams. Then the people of that other village do the same process and take him out of the limits of his village. In this way, this process is adopted by every village and these unwanted gods travel hundreds of miles, these gods coming from Jagdalpur dissolve in Bhangaram Nala Tallin valley and these deities coming from small mountains in Bhangaram Nala Podgaon. Both these places are the boundaries of princely Bastar.

This festival is actually an undertaking to warn people of seasonal diseases occurring during the seasonal period. With the change of weather, there is a possibility of natural outbreaks, seasonal diseases spreading in the village due to change in air and water. In rural areas, there is spread of vomiting-diarrhea, cold-fever, itching and hoof-scabies etc. Initial measures to avoid these diseases or to be alert about these diseases are celebrated or Bohrani. This is a sign of health awareness of the ancestors of Muria tribals. It was made even more effective by linking it to faith and faith.