It was the early nineties – a time when industrialization was at its helm and forests were beginning to be attacked in the name of development. But, for fifteen villages spread across Laikera and Kirimira blocks in Jharsuguda, Odisha, the story was completely different. Villagers, worked to recover their sacred Andhari mountains, as they sensed an intimate connection to the local, tribal deity – Andhari.
Andhari’s Story
Odisha, which is home to about 22% of India’s tribal population has seen most of its village deities having strong tribal affinities. Over a period of time, some of these stories have gained popularity in mainstream traditions. To say that such a deity can be epitomized as an environment protector is not without being contentious in some quarters. Until you hear about Andhari Devi’s spiritual journey in small villages spread across the western part of Odisha.
The locals have been praying to her since time immemorial. She has always been part of the lives, according to folklore.
The story of its conservation is, however, a story of both environmental activisms, as well as nature worship coming together.
It was 1957 when the world’s largest mainstream dam – Hirakud was inaugurated by the first and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. This saw the entry of a unit by the Steel Authority of India, in Rourkela namely Orient paper mills and slowly this belt became home to several small- and large-scale industries.
Jharsurguda was part of Sambalpur district till 1993, where this was happening. This was further strengthened with the Government of Odisha’s Industrial Development Policy that experts said favoured mining, allowing many metals and power sector entities to flourish.
The downturn was internal and with external migration speeding up, people needed spaces. Consequently, land grabbing became rampant. Forests no longer provided the solace of being resource generators having now become a bottleneck since they hoarded space. Excessive cutting of trees – pushed out some of the flora and fauna to be extinct. Once a land – that housed some of the rare species – the Andhari forests were becoming denudated. For scientist Dr Dhrubaraj Naik, and his son Subrat, this was enough to take action in a bid to save the forests.
The Conservation Story
The worship of goddess Andhari happens over an annual congregation on the eighteenth day of the bright lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik; that sees an idol of ‘Van-Durga’ carried atop the hills for worship, by the local tribal priest known as Disari/Dehuri since 1994.
On the next day, the deity is brought downhill for the locals to pray and revere the respect for protecting them and their forest. Her worship in the sacred groove gives her the designation of the ‘Gram Devi’ (village deity).
The narrative, that helped conserve the forests was that people could only get divine blessings of Maa Andhari if they protected its forests. This led the socio-religious congregation to evolve into a community’s movement to protect its forest under the leadership of late environmentalist and scientist Dr Dhrubaraj Naik.
Naik, who had returned to his ancestral village Kuarmal after retirement motivated the villagers, not only to plant saplings but protect the Andhari forests in-order to stop its exploitation. Dedicating his life to science and education – school and college-going children became the foot soldiers of the forests’ conservation.
“He was instrumental in reviving a campaign started by his elder son to bring communities together,” says Janta, a local volunteer who worked with Dr Naik since the movement gained momentum.
Under the campaign, a ‘Van Samrakshyan Samiti’ (VSS) was created in every village and they operated under a community-based organization of Maa Andhari Van Surakhya Samiti Mahasangha through which villagers worked in clusters and took turns to guard the forests. Soon, several school and college-going youth also got involved in the movement, making the movement both religious and youth-led.
The idea was not to keep locals away but to be responsive to what they take away from the forests. The locals were allowed to collect forest produce such as seeds of Sal trees, kendu leaves, and mahua flowers as well as firewoods for domestic use.
But, timber came with a price; that was to compensate for the cutting of the trees. To check rampant cutting down of trees, forest officials would do periodic checks of all households.
Over the years, these practices turned the Andhari mountains from a depleting patch of land to a sacred grove that protected the bio-diversity and provided refuge to many plant and animal species of conservation significance.
The tradition continues even today; the deity is worshipped and school and college students undertake cycle rallies to continue the awareness.
Women’s Role In Environmental Protection
Nature-based religions and goddesses – have brought in the spirituality of nature, and women have played a pivotal role since the early 1970s. Several theories back this ideation including the Gaia principles that “living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings, to form a synergistic and self-regulating complex system that helps to crease out life on the planet”.
India has had a long tradition of conserving nature by giving it a spiritual dimension. The various cultural connections are expressed through myths and religious practices that celebrate plants and animals, forests, rivers, and mountains that are essential for existence.
Early reflections are in – identifying sacred groves within reserve forests as the abode of deities a practice that flows in – from our indigenous ancestors.
Women’s role in environmental protection has always occupied a place of importance with goddesses being worshipped in various forms around the country.
Yet, sometimes interpreting environmental degradation with the position of women in society would certainly require more supported research and thus hopes and risks of strengthening both in wake of climate change.
Not just as goddesses, women are primal in environmental adaptation due to their skills, experience, and strength.
While the role of women as nurturers and caregivers is not without criticism, Deity Andhari’s case show-cases how cultural eco-feminism can successfully deliver to move people by linking the environment with a female force.
All images belong to the author of the post.