Kashmiri Pandits Celebrating “Watak Puja”
|| Tariq Ali Mir ||
Like other parts in the country, kashmiri Pundits are celebrating Maha Shivratri in jammu and Kashmir. All the Shiva temples has been decorated .
The “Watak Puja” has got a great prominence in the Shivratri festival in which the devotees add some specific spices know as Watak spices.
The Watak Puja is done under the guidance of a Purohit. Even though the migrant Kashmiri Pandits and those who stayed back in Valley are following the traditional way of celebrating Shivratri, the new generation is using the Watak compact discs to complete the ritual.
As per the Hindu mythology, Shivaratri is celebrated to express happiness on the commencement of married life of lord Shiv and Parvati.A friend namely Rocky Pandita told me that Shivratra is of extraordinary importance for Kashmiri Pandits and the ritual continues for 23 days. He said for the first seven days, the Pandits clean their residential houses and lawns. Specially prepared pottery is used for the Watak Puja, he said.
“The two pots from the pottery in which the bigger one indicates Shiv while comparatively smaller to it indicates Parvati are part of the Puja,” adding other four pots are manufactured which indicates the Baraatis of Shiva. He said, “While the potter brings the pottery to their homes, the Pandits perform Puja of the potter and the pottery. According to our religion, it is more than pottery. They are faces of Shiva and Parvati while the potter is the carrier of it.”
Omkarnath said on the eight day of the Puja known as “Atham” Pandits distribute Tehri, prepared from rice and turmeric, among neighbours and relatives. He said the yellow colour of Tehri indicates peace. He said on second day of the festival, known as Salaam, Pandits distribute money among children and women while as the recently married girls are gifted ‘Kangris’.
Bureau Chief,
Jammu and Kashmir
