NALBARI, Feb 6 - Thousands of people thronged the tiny Ulabari village on Sunday to witness the traditional Baranagaria Sewa festival, a rare tradition of worshipping human being, which is being celebrated for the last 106 years now. In this festival, the host village invites the bhakats and the common people from 12 different villages to the Sewa festival to fulfil the term of Baro (twelve) and perform naam prasanga for the well-being of the entire humanity.
The bhakats and other visitors are received with various refreshments and meals at a common site set up in the village to receive the visitors. For that, the villagers collect rice, dal, firewood and cash from every household to meet the expenditure of the festival. When all sort of violence has gripped the society, such kind of a festival to worship human beings is considered a rare tradition in the small village.
The festival began with the sadasar sthapan at the Bor Naamghar in the morning session. The other programmes of the festival included lighting of the earthen lamp, bhakat adarani, religious procession, naam prasanga, nagara naam, among others.
The organisers of the Baranagaria Sewa festival told this correspondent that the tradition of the village completed 106 years this time. On the day, a total of 33 common sheds were erected to receive the bhakats.