Nayagarh: ‘Akshaya Tritiya’, a major agrarian festival, is celebrated across the state as it marks a special occasion. It is on this day the sowing of paddy seeds for the ensuing Kharif season starts and the special ritual is known as ‘akhi muthi anukula’. The day starts with the ritualistic worship of mother Earth, bullocks and traditional farm equipment. Farmers also pray for a good harvest.
However, the residents in Bhogra village under Khamarsahi panchayat of Daspalla block in this district do not follow the same ritual on ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ for more than 61 years now. This is because on this auspicious day 61 years back 28-year old Bharat Pradhan was killed by a leopard inside a jungle close to the village. Since that day residents of the village have stopped celebrating ‘Akshaya Tritiya’. They do perform the rituals for the Kharif season, but on a different day other than ‘Akshaya Tritiya’.
A total of 55 families were living in the village when the leopard attack took place. The village is surrounded by Barasahi hill and Meghamala jungle on the south and the Sakeri forest on the west. The forests are home to a large number of wild animals. Pradhan was attacked by the big cat when he gone to collect wood in the jungle with friends.
Currently, 305 families reside in in Bhogra village. The forests have also dwindled and chances of animal attacks have reduced drastically. Life has also become easier for the residents of the village. They have many more facilities now. However, in memory of Pradhan, the residents of the village still do not celebrate the occasion of ‘Akshaya Tritiya’. The seed-sowing ritual is carried out on some other auspicious day