Manabasa Gurubara ritual

Domain:Social practices, rituals and festive events

State: Orissa

Description:

Manabasa Gurubara is a ritual performed on each Thursday of Margashirsha (November-December) in honour of Goddess Lakshmi. Lakshmipuran by the 16th century poet Balaram Das is read on the occasion, which narrates a story glorifying the place of women in every respect as central to the peace, progress and happiness of the family and denouncing evil practices such as untouchability. Performed mainly by women of Orissa, this ritual involves making rice flour patterns called chitta and worshipping a representation of the goddess, moulded by the women using a bamboo vessel called Mana overflowing with harvested paddy, and eyes and nose are marked with sandalwood, turmeric and vermillion.