Jowai, July 22: Tuber Behdeiñklam festival – an annual religious festival of the Pnars Indigenous tribe of Meghalaya – concluded today with the PHE Minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar attending the valedictory function as the chief guest.
This is the biggest and the most well-attended and colourful festival celebrated in Meghalaya. Thousands witnessed the celebration of the festival that is held ‘to drive away plague and other social evils from the society’. It is a four-day festival where various rituals are performed by the Lyngdoh, the Wasan, Sangoh and others.
A memorandum submitted in 2019 to the Chief Minister Meghalaya was also read out in the concluding function and demands were made for constructing a public gallery and museum, cleaning of monument site of Woh Tep Kyndiat as well as construction of Duwan Blai.
The memorandum was re-submitted through Local MLA Kyrmen Shylla. He also handed over the work order of Rs. 26.50 lakhs for construction of side drain, sanitation and footpath in and around Tuber Biar – the sacred pool where the festival is celebrated annually.
Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma and the Speaker of Meghalaya Assembly Metbah Lyngdoh wished the people of the Sein Raij Tuber happiness, good health and prosperity through a video conference.
There were 65 rongs or Rots (raths) similar to a tower paper monuments were brought to the Sacred Pool (Biar) before they were immersed.
The last ritual performed was the ‘Iatan Bhang’ – a tug of war with two hooked trees between the ‘Phangwah’ (the North) and the ‘Phangnein’ (the South) and the South won with a belief that the area within the Seinraij Tuber is in a good news as they will be in good health and prosperity