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CHIKHALKALA
 This
unusual festival is celebrated only in the small town of Marcel,
about 17 km from Panaji, off the road to the temple town of
Ponda. The festival is celebrated on the 11th day of the Hindu
lunar month of Aashadh (June–July) and is actually nothing
but a collection of various games that Lord Krishna is supposed
to have played in his childhood.
This festival is about getting close to
Mother Earth, and is celebrated when Goa’s open spaces
are full of slush due to heavy rains. The festival is celebrated
on a huge village ground which is surrounded by a number of
temples. During the rains, the ground is full puddles of water
creating a slushy platform for the games. Flowing water is
also diverted to the ground to create extra slush.
The township of Marcel has people belonging
to all castes and religions, and many of them take part in
this mud festival wholeheartedly. Marcel also has lots of
Hindu temples. In the olden times, many Hindus migrated to
this township with their Gods to escape the religious persecution
unleashed by the then Portuguese regime. Naturally, this township
has a deep religious ambience with many devotees living here.
The Chikhalkala (Mud Festival), is held in the courtyard of
the temple of Lord Devki-Krishna, known for the unique idol
of Lord Krishna sitting on his mother Devki’s lap, said
to be the only one of its kind in India.
The festival is preceded by 24 hours of
continuous Bhajan singing in the temple. On the day of the
festival, male devotees wearing only shorts go around the
town collecting oil from various shops. The devotees then
smear the oil on their bodies and enter the temple to offer
a collective prayer for the community’s welfare.
They chant “Jai Vithal, Hari Vithal”
loudly, as percussion instruments like mridangum or pakhvaj
and tal are played in the background. As they get immersed
in the divine chanting, they again rub oil on to their bare
bodies, from the nearby burning pedestal lamp and come out
of the temple to enter the mud field. Music accompanies them
as many more join the group. As the group comes to the field,
the actual festival of Chikhalkala begins.
Before the actual festivities start, the
ritual of distributing prasad (sacred offering) takes place.
Townsfolk and visitors bring sweets and fruits for the players.
They stand on the platform below the main Peepul tree on the
ground and start throwing the sweets in the direction of the
players. The players jump to grab the prized pieces making
it an exciting spectacle for the viewers.
Then the players, young and old begin throwing
mud on each other and virtually push each other into it. As
each new player joins in, he is carried away to the slushiest
part of the ground and dumped there. The chanting crowd then
smears him with the slush until he is completely drenched.
A large number of children can also be seen thoroughly enjoying
themselves. The participants in the Chikhalkala are called
Khelgadi. Locals believe that one can get cured of skin diseases
and even cough and cold if they play in the mud.
These players are divided into two groups
and play games like Viti Dandu, Chendu Phali etc. Players
sing traditional songs while playing. The actions of players
are rhythmic as they play to the background music. All the
games are supposed to be enactments of the games played by
Lord Krishna when he was a child. By afternoon, the games
are over with the traditional breaking of the earthern pot
of curds tied to the Peepul tree. The players then disperse
to take a bath. They return to temple to sing devotional songs
and once the prasad is distributed, the festival of Chikhalkala
is over.
No one in the vicinity of Marcel can tell
with certainty, the genesis of this unique festival. No legend,
or folk tale tells us anything about this festival. It is
said that the idol of Lord Krishna earlier belonged to the
temple in Chodan (now Chorao), an island near Panaji, where
Chikhalkala used to be played. Since the idol was transferred
to Marcel, the festival associated with the deity too shifted
there. The elders of the town believe in this explanation
which may or may not be true, but that does not mar the pleasure
and fun associated with this festival. Verily, Chikhalkala
is one festival of Goa, which celebrates nature with great
abandonment.
Click HERE
to see a photo gallery.
See Also Hindu Festivals Celebrated in
Goa:
| Chovoth
| Diwali | Gokulashtami
| Holi | Lairai
Jatra | Nagpanchami |
| Gudi Padwa | Raksha
Bandhan | Ram Navmi | Vasco
Saptah | Chikhalkala |
|
