Vibrant tribal festival ‘Bhumi Panduga’ begins

Khammam : The annual Bhumi Panduga festival celebrated by the tribesmen in the villages of the Bhadradri Kothagudem district and Andhra Pradesh mandals of Yatapaka, VR Puram, Kunavaram, and Chintoor, began here in June and will continue till the end of July.

The festivities began with women pouring water into fields, followed by the singing of traditional “Rela” songs. Before the event officially began, the inhabitants of each tribal hamlet established the timetable and carried out the customary celebration. Three to five days are dedicated to this festivity.

As part of the festivities, men engage in hunting expeditions, accompanied by their trained dogs, to capture small game, believed to ensure a good harvest. The men prowl the woodland as part of their hunt. Aside from that, owners teach their hunting dogs to anticipate danger by yelping if they see any approaching dangerous animals.

Meanwhile, women singing “Rela” songs arrive at the main road, where they lay logs across the road to cross it and proceed through if the males go hunting early in the morning. These songs are a way of greeting, almost akin to saying, ‘hello.’

Aside from that, the person who hunts a bow is hailed as a hero, paraded through the village while chanting Rela songs, and bedecked with wild flowers.

Another significant undertaking of the event is the frequent travel to adjacent large towns, where women beg for money by performing Rela tunes in stores. When someone doesn’t pay the price, they mock them by tying palm and tree branches on their cars.

As a result, they gather praise for five days, and on the sixth day, they buy dal and jaggery to divide with everyone. It is believed that crops will grow well that year if they find any tiny animals during the five days of hunting.

A significant ritual involves offering the hunted animal at the “Mutyalamma” tree, with prayers and singing, before distributing the meat among villagers. Agricultural activities are strictly delayed until the festival concludes, as it is believed that early labour would lead to poor crop yields. The festival culminates with the traditional Kommu Koya dance, fostering a sense of community and cultural pride among the tribespeople.

A tribal named Sode Venkanna spoke to The Hans India, clarifying that during this season, every village holds a whole festival. He instructed the villagers to enthusiastically engage in the Kommu Koya traditional dance at the conclusion of the week-long celebration.

In all of the tribal belt settlements, the celebration began the first week of June and will end the last week of July. Venkanna said that this month is the great tribal festival, which they look forward to every year.