Keonjhar: With farmers failing to get on with agricultural work due to delays in monsoonal rainfall and the situation further worsening with water bodies drying up, villagers in Keonjhar district have started marrying off frogs to appease Indra, the God of rain. Farmers have resorted to frog marriage as they believe this will help in ensuring rainfall in the district. The matter came to the fore after residents of Godipokhari village under Jamunapasi panchayat of Patana block in Keonjhar district was seen performing the wedding of a pair of frogs (male and female) Wednesday to appease the rain God. Villagers claimed this is an age-old practice in many villages of Keonjhar district.
Sources said ‘Sankirtan’ is organised and certain rituals are performed to appease village deities in some areas. Villagers resort to traditional rituals like marrying off frogs whenever drought-like situation prevails owing to delay in monsoonal rainfall, sources added. The villagers of Godipokhari performed ‘Indra Yajna’ at the shrine of the village deity and later performed the marriage of a pair of frogs kept in a clay pot. Women of the village went on a procession to the shrine with the pot containing the male and female frogs. The village priest then performed the marriage as per the rituals. All the rituals that are usually followed in human weddings are imitated for the frogs.
Later, villagers released the frogs in the pond after taking them on a procession accompanied by music and dance. Later they prayed together to Indra, the God of rain, pleading for rain. Kahnei Charan Naik, an elderly villager who supervised the whole programme said that by this time they should be busy in cultivation.
However, farmers have failed to start their agricultural work due to the lack of rain in many areas of the district. Many who had already started farm activities were forced to abandon it due to lack of water in the fields. Retired professor and researcher Bimbadhar Behera said marrying off a pair of frogs is an age-old tradition.
Earlier, rainfall has been noticed in areas in the district where villagers organise similar rituals, claim the villagers. Though there is no logic behind this, people in many villages of Keonjhar and adjoining districts strongly believe this tradition, Behera added.