Sarna (place) explained

Sarna is a place of worship in the Chotanagpur region of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It is a sacred grove, where people of village gather to perform rituals in village festival.^[1]

Ritual

Sarna is a sacred grove of Sal trees, also called Sarai in Chotanagpur. It is a remnant of forest in the village, where spirits are thought to reside.^[2] According to traditional belief, Sarna is the residing place of gaon khut (village deity), the founder of village. Each year people gather to offer sacrifice to the Sun, the village deity, and their ancestors to ensure a good harvest and the safety of village. The village priest in Chotanagpur is known as Pahan, sometimes called Laya. Pahan and his assistant Pujar sacrifice animals, especially goat. Then cooked meat is eaten with Tapan (liquor).^[1] The ritual of Sarhul festival takes place in Sarna.^{[3] [4]}

Sarna is place of worship in village of the Sadan and Kurukh of Chotanagpur.^{[5] [6] [7]} Several tribal organizations, including Santals, are demanding a separate religious code for Sarna as Sarnaism as they believe it differs from Hinduism.^{[8] [9]} Although Santals call their sacred groves Jaher and village priest Naike.^{[10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. News: सरहुल पर अनूठी परंपरा... झारखंड के इस गांव में खौलते तेल में हाथ डालकर बनाए जाते हैं पकवान. jagran. 3 April 2022. 4 October 2022.
2. Pages from the Old Records: A Note on 'The "Kols" of Chota-Nagpore' by E.T. Dalton. Sanjay Nath. academia.edu. 34. 2015. 25 October 2022.
3. News: All You Need to Know About the Festival Celebrated in Jharkhand. news18. 4 April 2022. 4 October 2022.
4. News: झारखंड में मनाया जा रहा है प्रकृति का पर्व सरहुल, झूम रहे हैं लोग. zeenews. 4 April 2022. 4 October 2022.
5. Book: Environment, Knowledge and Gender: Local Development in India's Jharkhand. 978-1351729895. 4 October 2022. Jewitt. Sarah. 31 July 2019.
6. Book: JHARKHAND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 2021. Manish Ranjan. Prabhat Prakashan. 2022. 9789354883002.
7. News: बख्तर साय मुंडल सिंह के बताए राह पर चलें. bhaskar. 5 December 2019.
8. News: Explained: What Is The Sarna Religious Code And What Are Its Followers Demanding?. outlook india. 18 October 2022. 3 December 2022.
9. Web site: ST panel for independent religion status to Sarna . The Times of India . en-IN . 6 February 2011. 4 October 2022.
10. Book: Schulte-Droesch, Lea . Making place through ritual : land, environment and region among the Santal of Central India. 2018. 978-3-11-053973-8. 1054397811 . 187.
11. Book: Hembrom, Timotheas. The Santals : anthropological-theological reflections on Santali & biblical creation traditions. 1996. Punthi Pustak. 81-86791-00-0. 1. Calcutta. 35742627 . 41.