Jhamu Jatra once a Village Festival now a City Culture

Maha Visuva Sankranti known as Odia New Year is also the day of Jhamu Jatra or Devotees Fire Walk to complete their Vow (Brata). Devotees who observe the Jhamu Brata is known as Patua or holy devotee. These Patuas complete their brata on this day in traditional way by walking in on fire.

On the occasion, devotees called patuas collect sacred water from river or water bodies and offer pray to the deity to get her blessings. The devotees with the earthen pot filled with sacred water then used to walk on the burning wood charcoal filled in a channel. They wear picturesque costumes and dance bare footed over burning charcoals which is a part of the ritual during the festival. It is believed that the blessings of the Deity save the devotees to be hurted and uninjured while walking on the fire charcoal.

The Jhamu is perform such dreadful stunts in a state of hallucination and inflict a lot of pain on themselves. In religious parlance, this delusional state is called ‘possession’ of the devotee by gods. It is believed that divine intervention helps these patau in bearing all the mental and physical pain.

The patuas undergo a lot of pain and hardship to appease the Goddess, who they believe would fulfil their desires. Some people also do it to show their gratitude to the Goddesses for having fulfilled their desires, pre-ordained vows.

‘Jhamu Jatra’ is one of the popular festival of Goddess ‘Mangala’ believed to be originated from Mangala Temple in Kakatpur of Puri district of Odisha. However, once a village festival now days visible in urban areas by devotees by keeping the tradition active even today on Maha Bishuba Sankranti the first day of the Odia calendar and also marks the end of spring and beginning of summer.