Saptari women begin ‘Jat-Jatin’ dance, to appease rain god

By Binay KarnKalyanpur , July 14: With extreme heat persisting for the past month and no rainfall, women from Bairawa in Ward No 1 of Kanchanrup Municipality, Saptari, have started performing the traditional religious and cultural ‘Jat-Jatin’ dance and worship rituals.

To appease Lord Indra, the god of rain and bring rain, the women have begun worshipping him by performing the ‘Jat-Jatin’ dance, which is part of the Mithila culture.

According to Urmila Devi Panjiyar, coordinator of the religious and cultural programme and worship committee in the Panjiyar Tole of Bairawa, local women have been participating in the ‘Jat-Jatin’ dance at midnight for the past two days.

“There is a belief that if we perform the Jat-Jatin dance and worship Indra at midnight, the rain god will be pleased and bring rain,” said coordinator Panjiyar.

As per the Mithila tradition, during droughts, women perform the ‘Jat-Jatin’ dance to appease the rain god Indra, believing it will bring rain.

Local social worker Anil Panjiyar said that due to extreme heat, plants have started drying up and water sources are vanishing, so people are turning to the ancient tradition of dancing and praying to Indra for rain.

“Agriculture has been affected due to the drought. That is why women are collectively performing Vedic rituals and worshipping Lord Indra,” he said.

Only women take part in the ritual, which includes singing ‘Jat-Jatin’ songs, performing the dance, chanting Vedic mantras, and conducting traditional worship ceremonies dedicated to Lord Indra.

As the month of Asar nears its end without rain, paddy transplantation has not been possible in most fields.

According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Saptari, paddy plantation has been done only in 16 per cent of the district’s paddy fields.