When I was a kid I used to see people dressed in saffron colored clothes carrying a bamboo with two urns tied on opposite ends walking on the roads barefooted. They chanted “Har Har Mahadev”,”Bol Bam”.
I used to think what it was and why they used to do it. I decided to ask my mother, she said “This is called Bol Bam Yatra. It is performed by Hindus.” As I was born in a Muslim family no one in my family knew the answers to my question.
As I grew up I witnessed the number of yatris (pilgrims) growing day by day. A few days back I had a golden opportunity to meet Chinmay who was planning his Bolbam yatra this month. Chinmay is a 21-year-old religious person and he knows a lot about Hindu mythology. My inquisitiveness was back on track. I decided to ask him about this yatra.
Chinmay started with a description about Bolbam yatra. He said, "In Odisha, this festival is one of the most auspicious one which is observed annually. Bol Bam Yatra is otherwise called as Kaudi yatra in Odisha. This festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This yatra (journey) is observed basically in the month of ‘Shravan’ that corresponds to the month of July to August in the Gregorian calendar. This year it is been observed since 10th July. Devotees in Odisha perform the Bol Bam yatra with sheer dedication and enthusiasm. According to statistics, more than 70% of the population perform the yatra. In this yatra not only men but also women, aged people and children participate.
I insisted him to tell me the mythology behind this yatra."This festival has a mythological reason behind it. When the churning of oceans - Samudra Manthan - took place in the month of Shravan, fourteen different types of rubies came out. Thirteen of these were distributed amongst the demons, except Halahal (poison). Lord Shiva drank the Halahal and stored it in his throat. Hence, the name Neelkantha (meaning blue throat) is attributed to Shiva. To reduce the strong effect of poison, Lord Shiva wore the crescent moon on his head. All the Gods thereafter started offering the Ganges water to Lord Shiva to lessen the effect of poison. Since, this happened in the month of Shravan, since then the Shiva devotees offer the Ganges water in this month. It is believed that nothing praises Shivji more than Bol Bam yatra.The tradition of lifting the Kaudi has been taking place since centuries. Lord Ram, Ravana etc have also completed the Kaudi yatra.”
He gave me the details of how he started the preparation for the yatra. He told me “I as a Kaudia (devotees who perform kaudi yatra) have to be very careful before starting this yatra. One month before the yatra, I stop eating non-vegetarian items, I cannot cut my hair or nails.” He also said “I, my father, my mother along with my younger brother are going to do this ritual this year” “It is my 7th BolBam yatra. Every year we carry Kaudi which is a bamboo pole to which two urns are tied on opposite ends. One of the water urn is called “Brahmaghata” and the other is called “Shivaghata”. These urns signify the reuniting of “Brahma”(creator) with “jibha” (living beings). The Kaudias’ believe heavier the kaudi , bigger the ” vardan” (boon) given by Lord Shiva. Some of the Kaudias’ have “Mansika” ( a dedicated wish), until the wish is fulfilled they continue the Bol Bam yatra annually.Once someone starts the yatra he/she has to continue it for a period of at least three consecutive years ”.
He said he will be leaving on Sunday morning. He described his journey .“I usually start my journey with my family and few other people. We usually travel in groups. The entire journey is covered barefooted.From a decided location we walk up to Chhatta (a place in Cuttack where kaudia collect water in the urn). We go inside the river to collect water in the urn. The ritual followed by Odias (people of Odisha ) is quite different as there are many varieties of kaudi found in India but in Odisha there is only the ‘jhulan kaudi’. This kaudi can not be placed on the ground. On the sands near the river, we the Kaudia perform puja on the water collected in the urns. This is also different from other parts of India since In the other parts of India the water is usually collected from river Ganga so performing puja on the water is not required. After performing puja on the urns we walk towards the destined Shiva temple. We have been walking to Dhenkanal Kapilash temple which is around 80kms.” I was shocked to hear that I can never imagine walking barefoot and covering a distance of 5kms let alone 80kms. He also said that people can cover this journey by bus, train, auto, etc but in Odisha almost everyone covers this journey by foot.
His mother, later on, joined us in the conversation. She said “All through the journey these Lord Shiva devotees chant ‘Bol Bam’ and religious bhajans in the praise of Lord Shiva. There are numerous makeshift stands constructed across the journey, using which the Kaudia can take some rest for a while. There are provisions for food and toilets at these stands. They walk to their destined Shiva temples to do the “Jal Abhisheka”. Though the entire month of Shravana is dedicated to Lord Shiva. But it is believed if the “Jala Abhishekha “(pouring water on Shiva linga ) is done on Monday, a lot of problems of the devotees is resolved. “Jala Abhishekha “ is considered as thanks giving to Lord Shiva for all the fortunate things in life.” She also said that” It is believed that walking with the Kaudi on the shoulder and reciting “Bol Bam “, every single step is completed by the Kaudia is equivalent to one complete “Ashwamedha Yagnya”.”
I was glad that I found all my childhood answers from one of the saffron-clad pilgrim. This yatra is one of the most difficult one which is traversed by many with strong belief and perseverance.
