Dol Purnima, Dol Jatra, Doul Utsav or Deul is a major
Holi
Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
festival of
Braj
Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
and
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. This festival is dedicated to
Sri Krishna and
Radha
Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...
. It is mainly celebrated by
Gopal
Gopal may refer to:
* Gopal (caste), a social community of Odisha in India
* Gopal (Krishna), the infant/child form of Lord Krishna
* Gopal Bansa, ancient Kingdom in Nepal
* The Gopalas, an early Gaudiya Vaishnava institution
* Gandhian Organisatio ...
community of Odisha. On this auspicious day, a deity of Krishna and his beloved Radha, richly adorned and besmeared with colored powder (
Abir. In Brajvasi, Bengali, Odia and Assamese, is taken out in procession in a swinging
palanquin
The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
, decorated with
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s,
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
, colored
clothes
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...
and
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
s. The procession proceeds forward to the accompaniment of music, blaring of
conch shell
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).
In North Ame ...
s, trumpets made from
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
horn and shouts of 'Joy' (Victory) and 'Hôri Bolo' in Odisha. Odia women wash their courtyards with cowdung and decorate with rice powder and flowers. Milk items like home made curd, cream, butter and 'panchamrit' are offered. The people who accompany are offered sweets and drinks. In villages, drinks made of curd are distributed among people and rejoiced by putting Vermillion on each other.
In Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya's Vallabh sampradaya or
pushtimarg
Pushtimarg (), also known as ''Pushtimarg sampradaya'' or ''Vallabha sampradaya'', is a subtradition of the Rudra Sampradaya (Vaishnavism). It was founded in the early 16th century by Vallabhacharya (1479–1531) and is focused on Krishna. , Dolotsav is celebrated with very high enthusiasm. The deities of the sampradaya swings in a dol(hindola) and plays with his bhaktas with a variety of colours like Abir, Gulab, Aragaja, Chova etc. The main centre of attraction in Hori-Dol is the temple of Shrinathji, which is considered as the main place of worship for
vaishnavas
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
. The same way is also practiced in other sampradayas such as Haridasi,
Radhavallabha etc.
The festival is more significant for Bengali sampradaya of Gaudiyas. Because it was the day when the founder of
Gaudiya vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...
,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...
born. He was a great devotee and a philosopher who played an important part in the Bhakti movement.
In Assam, the festival is marked by singing songs, like "''Phaku khele korunamoy''" by the 16th Century Assamese poet
Madhavdev
Madhavdev (1489–1596) (Pron: ˈʃrɪ ˈʃrɪ ˈmɑ:dəbˌdeɪv) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a sakta worshipper, he w ...
, especially at the
Barpeta Satra
Barpeta Satra is a well-known sattra situated at Barpeta in the Indian state of Assam. It was established by vaishnavite saint Madhabdev in 1505 shakabda (1583 AD). The earlier name of the satra was Barpeta Than.
When Madhabdeva left the Satra, ...
. The 15th century saint, artist and social reformer
Srimanta Sankardev celebrated Doul at Bardowa in
Nagaon
Nagaon (previously Nowgong; Assamese নগাঁও), is a town and a municipal board in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is situated east of Guwahati.
History
This division was organised on the both banks of Kalang river ...
, Assam.
The festival also includes playing with colours made usually from flowers traditionally.
Days of celebration
The first day of Dol is known as gondh. In the evening time, the full incarnation of Lord Vishnu, god Krishna become ready to visit Ghunucha's place (Ghunucha is one of Krishna's wives). His followers make a bonfire in front of the kirtan-ghar and with the beat of Vaishnavite drums, cymbals, idol of Krishna carried round the firework and then to the doul. During the festival, all the regular religious functions of kirtan ghar (prayer house) are performed.
The second day of Dol is known as Bhor-Dol, meaning main Dol. Bhor Dol is celebrated for just one day in the month of Chot and two three days in the month of Phalgun. The idols are coloured with faku on this day.
The third day of Dol is also spent in the same manner as that of the second day.
The last and the fourth day of Doul festival is called Sueri. On that day, god Krishna is supposed to go back to the house of mother Lakshmi from the house of Ghunucha. Devotees bring down god Krishna to a palanquin (dola) and carried in a procession. Participation of people from various regions creates a sea of devotees there. In the rhythm of the Vaishnavite drums, cymbals, conches, etc., Holi songs rend the sky. People throw coloured powders to one another. When the procession arrived at kirtan ghar, the gate is blocked with bamboos by the followers of Mother Lakshmi. It is believed that, Mother Lakshmi become angry with her husband god Krishna, because He stayed at Ghunucha's place for all these days. The followers of Mother Lakshmi therefore stop the opposite group from entering her house. But at last, the bamboos are broken and Lord Krishna enters the campus and takes seven round of kirtan ghar. ‘He tires and takes rest for a while. Taking advantage of the peace, a devotee from Lakshmi’s side ‘reproves’ him; one of his devotees returns the reproof. An interesting verbal duel thus ensues. In the end he admits defeat, like a peace loving husband, satisfies her with money and other presents and earns His admittance into the shrine. There ends the great Dol festival’ (Das, 1972:89-90).
Bibliography
*Verma, Vanish (2002). '' Fasts and Festivals of India''. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books.
*Bhatt,S. C., Bhargava, Gopal K. (2006
''Land and People of Indian States and Union Territories In 36 Volumes. Orissa · Volume 21'' Kalpaz
References
{{reflist
Festivals in India
Holi
March observances
Hindu festivals
Bengali festivals