By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Behdieiñkhlam is the most important and the largest festival of the Pnars of Jaintia hills District and can also be called one of the three major festivals of the state.
The celebration of Behdieiñkhlam festival this year will be different from the previous year since the organiser has put in major emphasis on attracting tourists to the festival. O.R. Challam president of the Seiñ Raij Jowai (SRJ) said that the ministry of tourism government of India has allotted Rs 25 laks to the SRJ to make Behdieiñkhlam a big event and make sure that the festival attracts as much tourist as possible.
Challam also said that a large part of the fund will be used for publicity, the organizers will put up hoardings in the Guwahati airport and elsewhere in the state, and brochures are being prepared for free distribution.
It is the festival paying obeisance to Almighty God the Creator to bless people with good health and prosperity. The term beh-dieiñ-khlam is made up of three words in a Pnar parlance, ‘Beh’ literarily means to chase or to rid away and ‘dieiñ’ means wood or log and ‘khlam’ means plague, epidemic or pestilence. Behdieiñkhlam literarily means the festival to rid away plague.
K.C. Rymbai Daloi of the elaka, Jowai informed that the four days and three nights Annual Behdieiñkhlam festival of the Pnars will start from June 7 till 10 and as always it starts with the tradition of offering food to the ancestors on the first day.
The public part of the program will start at 2 PM in which the Khon Raij will carry the ‘Symboo Khnong’ from the sacred grove (Khloo langdoh) to Yawmusiang the centre of the town.
The second day of the fest that is July 8 at 10 AM, the Kmai Raij; the men and children of the 7 localities in Jowai will move to the different direction of the town to collect their respective ‘Dieiñkhlam’ and bring the same to Yawmusiang, Jowai to kept for a night. The day will end with the Khon Raij bringing the ‘Khnong blai’ to Loom Soo yung adjacent to Yamusiang.
On the 9th, at 9 AM houses of the followers of Niamtre will put up ‘Dieiñkhlam khian’ in front of their respective houses, these dieiñkhlam khian will be use for beating the rooftop of the houses as a symbol to rid off evil spirit and bless the house for the coming year.
At half past nine men and children of Khon Raij will move to Yawmusiang collect the Symbood Khnong from Loom Sooyung and take it to Khliehchnong, the Symbood khnong is then raised at Khliehchnong for everyone to see.
Then at half past ten the dancers from all the 7 localities will assemble at Myngkoi pyrdi where the Daloi of the eleka will address the gathering.
The localities will then move together to Yawmusiang and in Yawmusiang the Khnong blai will taken to Pohsawiar, Yawmusiang and the Dolloi and elders of the Raij will offer prayer. The localities will then carry their Dieiñkhlam to their respective localities where the dieiñkhlam will be raised straight skyward.
The last day of the festival will start early in the morning with the ritual of ‘Kyntiñ Khnong’ at the residence of the Priestess. Then followed by the ritual of bam tyngkong at the residence of the first settlers of the town, the ‘sookpoh’ led by the Daloi the elders of the Raij. (Contd on Pg 10)
(Contd from Pg 3) The final part of the program is the immersion of the rots at the ‘syiem eitnar’ and the ceremony of ‘ya knieh khnong’ in which men of the community compete among themselves to set feet on the khnong blai and the belief is one who can put his feet on the khnong blai is blessed with good health and prosperity.
After the immersion of the rots the last public part of the festival is the ‘dat lawakor’ a football match with a wooden ball.
H. Toi secretary of the SRJ said that organization has a Public Relation Cell (PRC) in place and any visitors who wish to visit the place can contact the cell. He also said since Jowai has very few hotels, that SRJ has contacted all the government departments in Jowai which has Guest Houses or Inspection Bungalows to spare their lodges for the visitors during the festivals. And for those who cannot find accommodation in Jowai, Toi said that Jowai is only one and half hour drive from Shillong so the visitors can commute from Shillong. The organisers hope to be able to provide accomodation for tourists from next year onwards.