The Bihar government has announced a ban on the practice of Pashubali (animal sacrifice) in the Shyama Mai Temple of Darbanga. The decision of the Bihar Government has angered the Hindu devotees. The Bihar State Religious Trust Council, chaired by Akhilesh Kumar Jain, imposed the ban. Jain was previously Law Secretary. Hindus have started agitation against the decision, demanding his resignation. They also burnt his effigy. Devotees are saying that Hindu traditions are being played with. They questioned why the state government is interfering in the practice that has been going on since ancient times in the temple.
Currently, the Bihar government is being run by the alliance of JDU, RJD and Congress headed by Nitish Kumar. Tejashwi Yadav is the deputy CM of the state. Following the state government’s decision, several Hindu organizations, including Bajrang Dal, have imposed the decision. Notably, all parties ruling the state government oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the BJP is vocal on Hindutva issues, the state government’s decision is being seen as against Hindu tradition. The devotees have questioned the intentions of the state government as the ban on Pashubali is being seen as tying the hands of the devotees who have faith in Shyama Mai and have been sacrificing animals for generations.
Notably, the Shyama Mai Temple is on the funeral pyre of Maharaj Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. Raja Rameshwar Singh was a devotee of Kali Maa and practised Tantra Sidhi. This is why the temple is also called Rameshwari Mai Temple. The temple was constructed in 1933 by his son Kameshwar Singh. Talking about the temple’s sanctum sanctorum, Mahakal is installed on the right side of the idol of Maa Kali and Ganapati and Batukbhairav are installed on the left side.
The Mundamala around the neck of Maa Kali has the same number of Narmunds as the number of letters in the Hindi alphabet. The Hindi alphabet is also considered a symbol of creation. Special events are being organized here during Navratri. Devi Maa is worshipped here in both Vedic and Tantric processes. In ‘Rameshwar Charit Mithila Ramayana’, Laldas, the servant of Maharaj, also describes Shyama Mai as the form of Mata Sita. In this story, Lord Ram was hit by an arrow from the demon Sahastranand, after which the angry Mata Sita’s complexion turned black, and her tongue came out.
This form of her was called Shyama Mai. It is said that Lord Shiva himself had to come to calm his anger. There are two things worth noting here – first, it is a Shakta temple, a place of goddess worship. Secondly, Tantra Sadhana has also been taking place in the temple since the beginning. Both of these are part of the Sanatan Hindu tradition. Animal sacrifices are made in Tantra Sadhna practices.
Bihar State Religious Trust Council has banned the practice of sacrifice, citing the Cruelty to Animals Act. The protesters have decided that hundreds of people will gather and sacrifice animals in the temple premises as a mark of non-cooperation with this order of the state government.
This is not the first time a government has banned Pashubali. In October-November 2020, an FIR was registered against those who sacrificed animals in the Durga temple of Kamathi in Nagpur, Maharashtra. In Kerala, animal sacrifice was banned by making a law.
Speaking to OpIndia, Mohit Bhardwaj, founder of ‘Vedic India’ and an expert on Hindu traditions, said that animal sacrifice is allowed in the Hindu religion but with many rules and restrictions. He said that in the Hindu religion, many communities offer animals as food to the deity. He gave the example of Shrauta and Grihya Sutras, in which animal sacrifice is permitted. Suchitra Samanta said in a research paper published in the ‘Association for Asian Studies’ that animal sacrifice is allowed in many Tantras and Puranas.
In the Hindu religion, there are provisions for offering meat and vegetables as food to the Gods and Goddesses. Animal sacrifice has special importance in Goddess worship. For example, meat is also offered as Prasad to the Goddess in Bengal during Navratri. Animal sacrifice is common there, as it is part of the Shakta tradition. Since ancient times, animal sacrifice has been done in the worship of Shakti and Tantra Sadhana.
Notably, the forest dweller community, which is part of Hinduism, offers meat as Prasad to the Gods and Goddesses as part of their daily routine. However, the “secular” law of India has stopped it. On the other hand, if someone kills an animal to eat meat, it is justified. It is evident that the religious traditions of only one community are being disrespected and stopped.
If the government wants to ban animal sacrifice, they should not allow such practices on Bakrid as well, where rivers of blood flow. Not to forget, Muslims follow the ‘Halal’ way of killing animals, where they are tortured and killed slowly. Interestingly, no one sees animal cruelty in that practice. Since there is unity in Muslim society, the political parties have to follow the path of appeasement, and they often avoid meddling with their traditions.
However, when it comes to Hindus, the governments become the contractors of the religion. It is a fact that the Islamic way of killing animals is barbaric. However, it should be the basis for the government or courts’ decisions regarding Hindu traditions. Hindu society needs to wake up and pay attention to preserve its traditions. The government has no right to ban animal sacrifice.
दरभंगा श्यामा माई मंदिर में बलि प्रदान पर रोक से लोगों में आक्रोश। pic.twitter.com/KV7GjBmyPy
— News18 Bihar (@News18Bihar) December 17, 2023
The Supreme Court had allowed women to worship at the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala based on a petition filed by activists with no faith in Hinduism. Misinformation was spread about the temple, and it was anti-women. Girls and elderly women are allowed to worship in Sabarimala Temple. On the other hand, the government or judiciary do not decide who will enter a mosque and who will not.
The Hindu religion will operate as decided by the traditions of the temples, scriptures, history, and opinions of the Hindu scholars, not by the government or the court. Sanatan Dharma has seen several changes since it came into existence. Some practices were added, and some were removed, but society did them. At that time, courts and governments did not exist in their present form. After a few days, the government may come and say that Maa Kali should not wear Narmund and it should be removed as it promotes violence. Will Hindus accept it?
