Nagon (Assam), January 05 (HS): House-to-house preparations for celebrating the Bhogali festival have begun in the rural areas of the state. In this series, Vaishnav devotees of the Sattras (monastery) of Batdrava, the birthplace of great Sant Srimanta Shankardev in Nagon district, have started preparing to make Bhelaghar for Bhogali festival with full Satriya tradition. Uruka will be celebrated on January 13 and Bhogali Bihu festival on January 14 across the state.

In different parts of the state, preparations are being made to welcome Magh Bihu with different cultural traditions. Some have started making Pitha as part of preparations for the Bhogali festival, while some have started making different types of Bhelaghar. In Batdrava, the center of Assamese ethnic culture, a traditional program of going from house to house to collect donations for building Bhelaghar has started through Haridhwani, which is a glorious heritage of Satra culture started by Gurujan and an auspicious program. Under this, Vaishnav devotees are gathering and reaching people's houses with Haridhwani.

It is worth mentioning that Bihu is the soul of Assamese culture. Bhogali Bihu, as per its name, is about preparing and eating delicious dishes. Bihu is basically a festival related to agriculture. Three Bihu are celebrated in Assam, Bhogali, Rangali and Kangali Bihu. In other parts of the country, it is celebrated with names like Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal etc. On this occasion, Bhelaghar is made from paddy straw and bamboo etc. In which there is a collective feast at night, which is set on fire in the morning after bathing and performing Puja-Archana with full rituals.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash