By HH Mohrmen
The major influences of Hinduism on the Pnar of Jaintia hills, is the worship of Durga by the Pnar in Nartiang. Folk tradition has it that the worship of Maa Durga in the area was practiced since the time of the erstwhile Jaintia monarch. The Durga temple located in Nartiang is one of the oldest temples; some (S.S.Sawian) have estimated the temple to be at least 600 years old, but the fact is Nartiang or at least the location of the temple is part of Hindu mythology which finds mention in Hindu sacred scriptures like the Shiv Puran. The fact that the Durga Temple in Nartiang is mentioned in the Hindu tradition was first brought to light (at least to this writer) by R.S. Mooshahary the then Governor of Meghalaya during his speech at the inaugural function of the Tourism festival in Jowai in 2009.
In his speech Mooshahary related the myth about the death of Sati in the Hindu tradition and how the grief-stricken Shiva carried Sati’s corpse everywhere he went. The other gods requested Vishnu to make Shiva come to his senses and cremate the body, but to no avail. So Vishnu sent Sudarshan to destroy the corpse of Sati. Fifty one pieces of Sati’s body was scattered across the sub continent. One piece which is the genital fell in Kamakhya in the Kamarupa region and one of the thighs fell in the area where the Durga temple was constructed at Nartiang.
The Durga temple in Nartiang may be one which attracts maximum numbers of worshippers or even people’s attention, but apart from the Durga temple there is the temple of Shiva on a hill top overlooking a valley in Nartiang. This temple was very recently rebuilt, but the earlier temple was built in the shape of an overturned boat which in the Pnar language is called ‘i ?ung-lyntoor.’ In some Pnar family the roof of their ‘?ung-blai’ (God’s house) is that of an upturned boat. ?ungblai is a place where the khatduh (youngest daughter) the custodian of the family wealth lives and it is also a place where all the rites and passages of every member of the clan are performed. In the temple of Shiva in Nartiang there are also remnants of old muskets from the erstwhile Jaintia monarch period.
The other vestige of Hinduism in Jaintia hills is the now neglected and abandoned temple at the Borkhat village in the East Jaintia Hills District. This temple is located adjacent to the river Myntdu, and apart from this ancient temple there is also a wall on the bank of the river Myntdu which is believed to be the altar from where the erstwhile Jaintia king performed human sacrifice. Since the ruined temple was left unattended, the wall too is in a dilapidated condition. One fears that the construction of a bridge adjacent to the wall will ultimately destroy the wall. This abandoned temple which is now located near a church is obviously being left uncared for by the Art and Culture department and it has gradually turned into a garbage dumping ground for those living in its neighbourhood.
This neglected temple has some beautiful carvings that are uniquely designed. Perhaps the temple was abandoned because there is no idol inside. Where has the idol from the temple disappeared? A premiere regional English daily once reported about the story of the descendant of the Ahom kings who after the idol was left unattended for several decades, decided to perform a ritual to prepare the goddess to be worshipped again. It was also mentioned that the idol was from a temple of the erstwhile Jaintia kingdom. History has it that because the deity worshipped by the Jaintia king was so powerful so the Ahom king stole the idol of the goddess from the temple of the Jaintia king and took it to his kingdom. Perhaps it is the idol from this particular temple that the Ahom Kings stole and since then the temple was left unattended. This temple which is in a sorry state could be a national heritage and if the government can persuade the descendants of the Ahom king to return the idol of the goddess to the temple then people can start worshipping in the temple again.
Traces of influence of the Hindu religion on the Pnar and War Jaintia culture can also be in the form of other Hindu gods and goddesses which find place in the pantheon of tribal gods. Shiv Thakur or Shiva is one of the prominent deities not only among the Niamtre in Nartiang but the Niamtynrai of the War Jaintia people too. Thakurs are also worshipped by the Pnar and War of Jaintia and they are believed to be in the upper hierarchy in the pantheon of tribal gods. When a person(s) suffers from chicken pox the common saying is that the “ki blai Thakur” has possessed the person. Biskurom in both the Pnar and the War Jaintia tradition is the Fire god and is being worshipped whenever people cook special dishes. Whether Biskurom of the Pnar and the War of Jaintia has any connection with Vishwakarma of the Hindu tradition is a question that needs further deliberation. But certainly several aspects of Hindu tradition have been adapted by the Pnar and Wars of Jaintia hills.
The unique practice of naming twins among the followers of Niamtre of the Pnar in Jaintia is that when a mother gives birth to female twins the elder baby is always name as Durka and the younger is name as Kongka. Similarly if a mother gives birth to male twins, the elder baby is always named as Ram and the younger as Lakhon. Now everybody knows that Durka is the incarnation of Devi and Kongka is the name of the holy river and that Ram and Lakshman were brothers but they were not twins. The point is that Hinduism had tremendous influence on the culture and tradition of the Pnar and War of Jaintia Hills.
The importance of male member of the family (particularly u Kñi), in the traditional Pnar family which holds the male member of the family in high esteem is perhaps the influence of the culture of the plains people with whom the Pnar and the Wars had trade connections since time immemorial. The taboo against eating beef which is still practiced by the followers of Niamtre and Niamtynrai could also have been influenced by the plains people on the highlanders. Cremation rather than burial is another likely influence of Hindu culture on the people of Jaintia hills because the Khasis do bury their dead.
In the recent past an elderly person related stories of a puja procession led by the priest from Nartiang to Syndai where they performed puja on the Shiva lingam in the Syndai cave. The priest of the Durga temple in Nartiang said that the puja is still observed but in a more subtle fervor. Talking about Syndai even the inscription and sculptures around Syndai are obviously not tribal subjects. The common object of the sculptures in the area is elephants. This includes the sculpture in the Rupasor bathing ghat near the cave. The glaring evidence that the sculpture has no connection with tribal arts and it was done by a Hindu artist is the image of goddess Ganesha near the cave. There is no doubt that these sculptures were sculpted by a Hindu sculptor and the Rot (Rath) that are being used during Behdieiñkhlam festival are copied from both the Hindu and Islamic tradition of our neighbours.
The people of Jaintia not traded with their immediate neighbours in the past, but they were also open to the influences from the plains part of the Jaintia Kingdom.