Meghnad Festival of Madhya Pradesh
Name of Festival : Meghnad Festival
Time of celebration (Month)
Meghnad Festival is falls in the month called Phalguna (February-March).
Major Territory of Celebration
Meghnad Festival is celebrated by the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh.
Worship in Festival
In Meghnad Festival people worshipped the Lord Meghnad
About Festival
The dates for celebrating the festival are different at different places but all falling in the first fortnight of Phalguna. The festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Meghnad, a major deity of this tribe .
After Holi festival, a platform is built on 4 poles to represent the Lord Khandera dev, an incarnation of Lord Meghnad.The 5th pole juts out through the platform and bears a horizontal beam easy enough to rotate freely in a circular fashion.The structure is generally painted with red ochre and oil.
Lord Khandera Dev is believed to cure illnesses and bless the people with a bumper crop.People offering coconuts, eggs, chickens and goats during this event traditional songs are recited to the beats of drums and cymbals . In times of illness the people of Chhindwara remember Khandera Dev.In serious troubles, they undertake the risk of swinging in the air by getting themselves tied by the waist, face downward, to one end of the revolving beam.
The main attraction of this festival is atmosphere of a village fair with songs and rhythmic beats of drums and cymbals.
