Jhulelal (Hinduism): Difference between revisions
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===Cheti Chand=== |
===Cheti Chand=== |
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The [[Cheti Chand]] festival in the month of [[Chaitra]], marks the arrival of spring and harvest, as well as the mythical birth of Uderolal in the year 1007.<ref name=falzon159/><ref name="Ramey2008p8">{{ |
The [[Cheti Chand]] festival in the month of [[Chaitra]], marks the arrival of spring and harvest, as well as the mythical birth of Uderolal in the year 1007.<ref name=falzon159/><ref name="Ramey2008p8">{{Citation|last=Ramey|first=Steven W.|title=Presenting Sacred Figures|date=2008|url=https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230616226_5|work=Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond|pages=105–124|editor-last=Ramey|editor-first=Steven W.|place=New York|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US|language=en|isbn=978-0-230-61622-6|access-date=2021-08-24}}</ref> Uderolal morphed into a warrior and old man who preached and reprimanded Mirkhshah that Muslims and Hindus deserve the same religious freedoms. He, as Jhulelal,<ref name="Ramey2008p8"/> became the saviour of the Sindhi Hindus, who according to this legend, celebrate the new year as Uderolal's birthday.<ref name="Ramey2008p8"/><ref name=falzon159>{{cite book|author=Mark-Anthony Falzon|title=Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860–2000|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ljbS-I5Y8WMC&pg=PA59|year=2004|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-14008-5|pages=58–60}}</ref> |
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===Chaliya saheb=== |
===Chaliya saheb=== |
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Revision as of 16:18, 24 August 2021
| Bhagwan Jhulelal | |
|---|---|
 Jhulelal sitting on a lotus flower in the middle of a river and surrounded by a couple of silver fish (palla fish) | |
| Affiliation | Varuna Deva |
| Abode | Sea & River Indus |
| Mantra | Om Jhulelalaya Namah |
| Weapon | Sword |
| Mount | Hilsa & Horse |
| Personal information | |
| Siblings | Arhastra |
| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
|---|
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Jhulelal is a folkloric hero among the sect of Daryapanthi Sindhis, who has been manufactured to be the most revered deity of Sindhi Hindus, after Partition of India.[1][2] The chant Aayo Laal Sabhainjo Jhulelal is considered the "clarion call" of Sindhi Hindus.[3]
An incarnation of Varuna, legends hold that Jhulelal was born during the rule of one Islamic despot "Mirkshah", who had issued an ultimatum to local Hindus for converting to Islam.[1][4] The child shew supernatural powers, and threatened to destroy Mihrshah's palace lest he revoked his orders and allowed harmony to flourish.[1] Uderolal preached about how the Hindus and Muslims believed in the same God, and the Koran forbade conversion; in the end, the King not only spared the Hindus but also became his devotee.[1]
Devotion towards Jhulelal was not uniform in pre-partition Sindh; many Sindhi Hindus had never ever heard of him and he was one of the many deities of the Sindhi pantheon.[1][2] However, in 1950 an emigrant section of Sindhi Hindus, led by Ram Panjwani in Bombay, decided to transform Jhulelal into the iṣṭa-devatā of all Sindhi Hindus and unify the diaspora.[1][2] Devotional songs were penned, pamphlets printed, statues installed, festivals celebrated, and cultural events organized in thousands for the cause of Jhulelal.[1] Over the course of decades, Jhulelal has successfully become the representative Hindu God of Sindhis within the folds of Hinduism.[1]
Iconography of Jhulelal varies widely.[1][5] Sindhi Hindus worship Jhulelal at the Shrine at Odero Lal in Pakistan's Sindh province, which is jointly used by Hindus, and Sindhi Muslims who revere the shrine as the tomb of Sheikh Tahir. A second shrine named Jhulelal Tirthdham exists in India at Narayan Sarovar, Kutch, Gujarat.[6]
Folklore
Synthesized summary
After a long period of harmonious existence between the Hindus and Muslims, one Mirkshah of Thatta ascended the throne. Instigated by his advisors, he ordered that all local Hindus convert to Islam or be put to death.[2] The Hindus prayed to Indus, who promised that Varuna will take the form of a child to avert the impending catastrophe.[2]
In 1007, the day of Cheti Chand in Chaitra, one Uderolal was born to a local Hindu family.[2] As he began to be worshiped, Mirkshah sent his ministers to investigate who witnessed multiple strange events.[2] The child metamorphosed into a young warrior, then into an old man, before back to child; other times, he swam on a fish.[2] Mirkshah was afraid but his advisors asked him to hold stead.[2] Jhulelal is also believed by Sindhis to have performed miracles, such as entering the Indus river at Nasirpur and coming up at Bukkur, at the northernmost extent of Sindh.[3]
Soon, he went to meet Uderolal and was impressed by his understanding of Islam — Uderolal preached about how the Hindus and Muslims believed in the same God, and the Koran forbade conversion.[2][1] However, his advisors again suggested that the teachings be disregarded and Uderolal imprisoned.[2] When the guards proceeded to arrest him, an inferno and a flood engulfed his palaces.[2][1] Mirkshah relented, abolished his decree, and asked for forgiveness from Uderolal.[2]
As the palace was saved and harmony restored, Jhulelal gained devotees even among the Muslims, including Mirkshah, who worshiped him alongside Hindus.[2] Jhulelal requested that a flame be burnt for eternity, in the memory of his deeds, and left his earthly avatar.[1]
Variant readings
Festivals
Cheti Chand
The Cheti Chand festival in the month of Chaitra, marks the arrival of spring and harvest, as well as the mythical birth of Uderolal in the year 1007.[1][2] Uderolal morphed into a warrior and old man who preached and reprimanded Mirkhshah that Muslims and Hindus deserve the same religious freedoms. He, as Jhulelal,[2] became the saviour of the Sindhi Hindus, who according to this legend, celebrate the new year as Uderolal's birthday.[2][1]
Chaliya saheb
Chalio or Chaliho, also called Chaliho Sahib, is a forty-day-long festival celebrated by Sindhi Hindus[7][8][9] to express their gratitude to Jhulelal for saving them from their impending conversion to Islam. The festival is observed every year in the months of July to August; dates vary according to Hindu calendar.[7][8] It is a thanksgiving celebration in honor of Varuna Deva for listening to their prayers.[7][8]
Shrines
Odero Lal Shrine
The Jhulelal Shrine at Odero Lal is situated in Matiari District, almost 40 kilometers away from the Sanghar District of Sindh; The Hindus and the Muslims can pray here at the same place simultaneously.[10][11] Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Matiari, Sanghar and Mirpur Khas are the nearby major cities to reach at the Shrine near Tando Adam.[12]
It forms the seat of the Daryapanthis, originally a subsect of the followers of Gorakhnath, who belong to the Nath tradition.[13][14]
Jhulelal Tirthdham
Sindhi Hindus in India built a religious shrine and cultural complex in Kutch, near the border of Sindh Province.[15][6] The 100-acre complex includes a 100-foot statue of Lord Jhulelal, a museum, meditation centre, an auditorium, and a cultural and arts-and-crafts centre with 100 accommodations.[15][6] Aiming to be the "a centre for global Sindhi identity", [6] the project costs an estimated ₹100 crore and was built on the donations from wealthy Indian Sindhis.[15][6] Harish Fabiani, one of the key promoters of the project, stated regarding the cultural complex, "The younger generation is aware they are Sindhis, but they do not know their language. We must learn our language and culture. We should have a place we can call our own."[15]
Iconography
- In the most common form, Jhulelal is represented as a bearded man sitting cross-legged on a lotus flower that rests on a palla fish.[16] The fish is seen floating on the Sindhu river. He holds a sacred text and sometimes even a rosary. He wears a golden crown with a peacock feather and wears regal clothes. Generally, temple idols represent him in this form.[1][17]
- In another form, he is shown standing on a palla fish or the lotus flower, holding a staff with both hands to indicate leadership.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Mark-Anthony Falzon (2004). Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860–2000. BRILL. pp. 58–60. ISBN 90-04-14008-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ramey, Steven W. (2008), Ramey, Steven W. (ed.), "Presenting Sacred Figures", Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 105–124, ISBN 978-0-230-61622-6, retrieved 2021-08-24
- ^ a b Lari, Suhail Zaheer (1994). A history of Sindh. Oxford. ISBN 0195775015. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Bhavnani, Nandita (2014). The Making of Exile: Sindhi Sindhis and the Partition of India. Westland. ISBN 9789384030339.
- ^ https://www.dawn.com/news/1227241
- ^ a b c d e "Coming up in Gujarat, Sindhis' own sacred shrine - Times of India". Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ a b c Chaliho festival Archived September 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Sindhis celebrate Chalio festival
- ^ Sindhi Festivals > Chaliho Archived April 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Zahida Rehman Jatt (June 3, 2015). "Jhulay Lal's cradle of tolerance". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ Claude Markovits (22 June 2000). The Global World of Indian Merchants, 1750–1947: Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama. Cambridge University Press, 2000. p. 48. ISBN 9781139431279. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "List of Cities near Udero Lāl in Sindh, Pakistan". GoMapper. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ Story of Jhulelal Archived 2011-05-01 at WebCite
- ^ Jatt, Zahida Rehman (2017-03-07). "How this lesser known festival is celebrated annually by Hindus in Sindh". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- ^ a b c d Shradha Shahani. "Sindhis are building a Jhulelal Tirthdham—their own holy city". Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ Nadeem F. Paracha (December 20, 2015). "Jhulay Lal's full circle". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ Boivin, Michel (15 Oct 2008). Sindh through History and Representations: French Contributions to Sindhi Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780195475036.
External links
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