Gods Are Put On Trial, Punished In This Court In Chhattisgarh's Bastar

Trials at Bhangaram Devi Temple are not just about punishment, but reformation too. Gods are given an opportunity to redeem themselves

Chhattisgarh's tribal-dominated Bastar region has often made headlines for kangaroo courts in which Maoists mete out punishments. But Bastar has another court that meets once a year and even Gods are not immune to its sentences. This court, which meets at a temple, holds Gods guilty and also punishes them.

The Bastar region, where tribals account for 70 per cent of the population, is seeped in myth and folklore. The tribes -- Gond, Maria, Bhatra, Halba and Dhurwa -- practice many traditions that are unheard of outside the region and form a key part of Bastar's rich heritage. One of them is the jan adalat -- meaning people's court -- that meets at Bhangaram Devi temple during Bhado Jatra festival every year during the monsoon.

Trial And Punishment

During the three-day festival, the temple's deity Bhangaram Devi presides over trials in which Gods are accused and animals and birds -- often hens - are witnesses. The villagers are the complainants -- complaints range from a failed harvest to a lingering illness and can include anything for which prayers were not answered. The punishments are harsh. A God found guilty is sentenced to exile -- their idols, mostly wooden totems, lose their place inside the temple and are banished to its backyard. Sometimes, this punishment is for life or till they mend their ways and get their seat in the temple back. People from around 240 villages gather to see the gods on trial. A feast is arranged for them.