Nukang Niharna (Chanur Dhowani) Washing rice

The tribal Muria society of Bastar has immense reverence for its deities, this is reflected in their work-behavior. He takes all measures to please his gods and gives priority to Dev's work in his life. An example of this is Chaur Dhowani. It is called "Nukang Nahna" in Gondi. In Hindi it means washing rice. When the tribal Muria society celebrates Nawakhani to welcome the new grain and offer the new crop to their gods, at that time the paddy is not ripe, it grinds the old paddy with the earring of new raw paddy and makes rice from it, so that the part of the new paddy is mixed in the rice and makes hair (kheer) from it and offers it to its gods. After this, he goes to Jagdalpur to celebrate Dussehra, comes from here and celebrates the arrival. Charu celebrates, then harvests paddy. In the wall, he feeds his pets with new rice khichdi, but he has not yet used the new rice. After celebrating the wall, at the first leisure, he washes the chaaur and offers rice to his gods. Only then does he use the new rice for eating.

Chaaur Dhowni may be a small festival of the tribal Muria society, but it has great significance in their lives. At this time, the paddy kept for eating throughout the year is towards the end. There is a need to use new rice in all households, so everyone is looking at the village heads with great hope whether the rice was washed by them and offered to the gods or not; So that the villagers can use the new rice for eating. This is the smallest of the entire festivals. It does not involve the participation of the entire village, people who are related to the deeds of God. The village soil ganyata and village Patel inform those people that they have to celebrate Chauor Dhowani on a certain day. It is necessary to mention here that every village has a fixed day of performing deity. On this day, notice is given to celebrate Chauor Dhowani. All those people who do the work of the village gods. In the presence of everyone, the priest washes the new rice so that it becomes white, after which he invokes his deities by making small heaps of rice. Keeping this heap of rice is called "capital mandana". At this time, the gods are not worshiped, nor are they sacrificed, nor is alcohol oblation. The deities are sprinkled with white water only by washing rice. This process is done in all the faith centers where the tribal Muria society worships its deities. It is done at Ana Kudma, Jagrani, Nukang Adka all places. Only after this, the tribal Muria society uses new rice to eat.