Terhauta Village girls participating in the festival. Rupani Rural Municipality, Saptari District. by Sanjib Chaudhary
Sama Chakeva festival originated in the Mithila region of the Indian Subcontinent is a sacred festival that epitomizes brother-sister love. The festival follows the story of a brother from Vrindavan (now in India) taking a bird form called Chekheva (Rudy Shelduck) to revert his sister back to the human form who was cursed to become a bird too for committing adultery.
Sama Chakheva starts on the same day as the Kharna of the Chhat festival is observed, i.e Kartik Shukla Paksha, the sixth day of the waxing moon phase in Kartik (Oct/Nov). The celebration is carried on for the next 10 days and concludes on the full moon day. But unlike any other festival, this festival requires neither fasting nor ritual of worshiping, it is rather an occasion to sing saga in loving memory of Sama and Samb.
Lalana, the daughters and sisters, begin the festival with a ritual called sama khel. They come in groups to sing and narrate the tragic story of legendary characters of Chakhevi and Chakheva and wish long and prosperous life for the brothers.
Sisters mold clay miniature dolls depicting Sama, Chakheva, Sapta Rishi, Vrindavan, Chugala (the gossiper), dog, birds, etc mentioned on Sama-Chakheva story from soil dug by their brothers. Those earthen images are painted after they dried all day. Sisters then parade through the neighborhood carrying the painted idols on handcrafted bamboo baskets balanced on their heads. They also visit the ponds where the Chhat festival was recently celebrated.
Sama and Chakheva are specially carried on red-colored baskets along with lit oil wick lamps. Sisters sing hymns related to Sama-Chakewa during the parade; songs lauding the glory of brothers, songs cursing wicked Chugala, songs grieving Sama’s fate etc. This parade is taken out every evening for 10 days and the procession is called Dagar Bullon
On the eleventh day, brothers build temple-like-floating baskets to carry the idols with paper festoons. Sisters carry those miniatures for one last time, walk pass neighbors to go to the nearby rivers or ponds. Here, sisters make offerings to idols and feed dahi-chiura, bitten rice mixed with yogurt to the brothers. Amidst merry brothers break Chugala’s idol and set its mustache on fire, and siblings together immerse the remaining idols into water. This breaking of idol symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
Sama-Chakheva Story-1
Some 5000 years ago, during the Dwapar era and in Vrindaban, Lord Krishna lived with his children Sama and Samb. One day Chugala related Lord Krishna about Sama’s illicit behavior stating that she despite being married to Charudatta was in love with Chakradhar. Enraged Krishna believing Chugala’s word cursed Sama to turn into a bird and banish her to the nearby forest. Learning upon sister’s ill-fate Samb undertakes penances to Lord Vishnu and earns a boon to turn himself to Chakheva. He then flies to the forest and hums song in search of Sama. Reunited brother-sister revert to human form when Sapta Rishi, the Seven Sages and Virndaban villages testify for Sama’s innocence. Sama so grateful to her brother sang in his praise and Lord Krishna punished Chugala for his misleading story.
In another story, when Lord Krishna punishes Sama to become a Chakhevi (female rudy shelduck) and banished to the forest, husband Charudatta makes penances to Lord Shiva and takes a form of Chakheva to unite with his beloved wife. Samb returns to Vrindaban from Gurukul, the Vedic School and prays to Lord Krishna in the rescue of sister Sama and her husband. Meanwhile, Chugala who had conspired the banishment ablaze forest to kill the birds but sudden rainfall rescinds his ill-intentions. Krishna placated with Samb’s penances brings back Chakhva Chakhevi to human form on the full-moon night of Kartik and punishes Chugala for his wrongdoings.
Many birds including Rudy Shelduck migrate to the Terai region from as far as Siberia in November hence the story is linked to the return of the Chakheva-Chakhevi duo.
Sama-Chakheva Story-2
Some 2000 years ago, there lived a pious King Kishan Bhusan Sen, Queen Aadambati, and their ideal children Sama and Samb in Garbh.
Churath, one of the courtiers of Garbh falls madly in love with Sama, and Sama who was already married to Magadh Prince Chakrawat refuses Churath’s love. Churath now offended by her reject relates the whole story to the King but twists the facts. Proud King exiles poor Sama to Vrindaban without making investigations. Aadambati and Samb having faith in Sama investigate the matter further and penalize Churath. But Sama, honoring her father’s word decides to continue with her eviction, undertakes severe penance to transform into a Chakheva bird. The festival in honor of Sama, the Chakheva has come into existence since then.
Tharu/Mithila girls on the occasion sing songs that interpret Sama’s sufferings, praising Samb for his courageous act of protecting his sister and cursing the chugala Churath who tried to defame Sama.
According to the Mithila saying ‘Sama ke muri dub, bar ke muri ug’, the married off daughters who have come to their birth home for the Jitiya Pawain festival return to their husbands’ only after celebrating the Sama Chakeva festival. That means women stay with their parents for a month before returning to their husbands for paddy harvesting season.
Below are the Sama Chakeva (2020-2021) clay sculptures, dimensions variable by Mira Devi Dutta, Bijay Kumar Dutta, and Priyanka Karna at Kathmandu Triennale. Taragaon Museum, Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. All Photos by Nikki Thapa
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