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| Anganewadi Jatra |
The name Anganewadi indicates a
predominance of people with surname Angane. According to a legend, a goddess
materialized in the village in the form of a stone plaque, 400 years ago. Since
then people have been flocking to a village for 'Darshan', every year. There is
no fixed day or date for the fair. It is decided by consent of the villagers.
Anganewadi is supposed to be
Konkan's Kashi in South. The ancient temple of Bharadi Goddess is a famous
prominent place of Pilgrimage. This fair is its changing date which is
finalized by mutual consent in February every year. Thousands of devotees from
all over Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa visit Anganewadi to evoke the blessing
of Bharadi Devi. In fact, the tradition of the fair began 300 years ago. A
sanctified, self-emerged stone is believed to the idol of Bharadi Goddess.
A theory to explain the origin of
the fair is that a man from the village of Anganewadi, was working as an Intelligence
officer/spy for the Maratha Empire during the reign of Shahu Maharaj (son of
Sambhaji Maharaj) and the Peshwas (Baji Rao I & Chimaji Appa) and
single-handedly helped them achieve tremendous success in their campaigns in
North India, when the Marathas were expanding their empire & planted the
Maratha flag in Attock. When he came back after fulfilling his duty, one of his
cows would discharge milk in the green woods which turned into a stone plaque
(Swayambhu Idol). When the owner went out to look for the cow, he found the
stone plaque. On the same night, he got a divine message in his dream from the
Goddess, who believed is to be an incarnation of Goddess Bhavani herself and
the village started to worship the stone plaque. The word spread and people have
since visited the place annually. The Peshwas, Baji Rao I & Chimaji Appa
themselves came to worship the Goddess for their future campaigns in India
& the Maratha Empire sanctioned 2000 acres land to the village.
Since the plaque was found in
rocky soil, (Bharad) the goddess came to be known as Bharadi. Over the years,
the crowds have swelled to the extent where the queue found by devotees for
'Darshan' extends up to several kilometres.
The Bharadi Devi is a very famous
deity for her wish-fulfilling(Navas) power. Her devotees express their
wish(Navas) before her and once the wish is fulfilled they come again for her
Darshan(visit) to express the gratitude.
The highlight of Anganewadi is an
annual fair (sometime in February, the date is declared after getting approval
from the goddess) lakes of devotees attend this fair. The villages of
Anganewadi have deep faith in ‘Bharadi Devi’ and they behave as per her wishes.
This small hamlet completely
abstains from alcohol. Alcohol consumption is strictly forbidden in this
hamlet.
There is no fixed day or date for
the fair. It is decided by consents. The method of arriving at a concert for
the day of the fair is interesting. After farming operation is over, the
villagers get together to decide out the hunting of Bharwild animal to offer
‘Prasad’ to the goddess. The male folks go out for hunting with a stipulation
not to return till the animal is trapped down. The animal’s flesh is then
cooked & distributed among the villagers who then decide on a suitable day for
fair. A decision is taken sitting on a mat (made by the peel of bamboo)
commonly known as ‘Daali’ in Malvani lingo. The villager’s decision is then
known as ‘Daalap’.
On the day of the fair, the stone plaque is
adorned with mask, ornaments & apparels. The village barber then stands
outside the temple & after sunrise releases reflected sunrays over the
sacred plaque. In view of enormous crowd attending the festivity, the rituals
now begin at 4 a.m. & end at 10 p.m. One female member of each family then
joins in the mass cooking. A food thus prepared is offered as ‘Prasad’. This
event is commonly known as ‘Taate Lawane (To serve the dishes)’ in Malvani.
This event also marks the end of the first day in fair.
On next day, rituals restarted at
4 a.m. & continue until the afternoon. This day is called ‘Mode Jatra (End
of fair)’. Though the Naivedhya of Bharadi Devi being distributed fair thus
officially last in one & half days, a variety of entertainment programs
like music, dramas, as a folk were continued for the next 4 to 5 days. People
from all corners of Maharashtra as well as from off places in Karnataka flock
the place for the duration of fair. Over the years, the crowds have swelled to
the extent where the queue found by devotees for ‘Darshan’ extends up to 2
kilometres.
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