Unique Festival, Women Lie on Road for Ritual Honoring 52 Goddesses

There existed an unique traditional festival, Dev Madai, in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, where the women lie on their bellies on the ground hoping to get fertility blessings from a ritual called Puran. The festival was conducted after Diwali and children from 52 surrounding villages took part in the tribal customs and worship practices.

Dev Madai Festival, Women Seek Fertility Blessings in Chhattisgarh

It involved women lying face down while the Baigas, believed to be the spiritual heads, were walking over their backs. A belief was that once a Baiga's foot stepped on any woman, she would become blessed with being fertile. Many childless women went to the Angarmoti Mata Temple to attend the Puran for divine blessings on motherhood.

The history of the ritual relates it to the fact that Angarmoti Mata is considered the goddess of 52 villages, and bestows them with guidance and blessings, especially in respect of fertility. According to the beliefs, this tradition finds its roots in the fact that 52 villages had to be shifted after the construction of Gangrel Dam in 1965. It is said that the villagers were shifted, and Angarmoti Mata was shifted along with her idol at the site of the Gangrel site. Since then, worship is still carried out at the same location.

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Thousands of devotees, especially on the first Friday after Diwali, seek their blessing at the festival. Basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, and sheds for devotees make the temple site a well-maintained religious and tourist site. A plastic-free zone has been declared to encourage environmental sustainability.