Haru-Saim Devta: The Village Guardians Deities

हरु -सैम देवता जागर Haru Saim Jagar Gatha 

Folklore, Folk Legends, Folk Myths of Kumaon-Garhwal, Uttarkahnd-15

Religious, Spiritual and Mythological Folklore of Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand – 15  

                                         Bhishma Kukreti 

                                          Definitions of Jagar 

 D.P Agwarwal and Jeewan Singh Kharakwal define Jagar,” Jagar is a state of seance in which a designated deity (ies) is induced to take possession of a person by ritual drumming and singing of traditional songs or legends belonging to such deities.” (Central Himalaya: an archeological, Linguistic and Cultural Synthesis, page 139).   

               In The Himalayas: An Anthropological perspective, Makhan Jha defines Jagar that Jagar is a poetic recitation, in appreciation of deities especially Pandavas and Krishna. He explains that Jagar recitation is to invoke the favor of God to restore the community vitality to caste away family sins. 

            Ajay Rawat (Forest on fire) states that the literal meaning of Jagar is ‘Jagran’ or invoking demi Gods in which the folk Singer Jagri sings panegyric verses in their praise.

  In the book -God of Justice, William Sax defines Jagar as a kind of séance in which people stay up night, singing songs of the God in order to ‘awaken’ him or her.

Dharam pal Agarwal defines Jagar as to ‘awaken’. 

                            Village Guardian Deities in other Countries  

  In every civilization, there was tendency of having village or city guardian deity or deities as:

Tutelary is village guardian deity of ancient Greece and ancient Roman civilization.

Pinyin was city deity of China.

Shing Wong was designated by king of Hong Kong as village or city guardian deity.

Jinshan is village or city guardian deity of Shanghai.

Jangseung is village or city guardian/deity in Korean civilization.

Vietnamese worship their village guardian deity Doan Thuong

Ogbudi is supposed to be a village guardian deity of one of African tribes.

Haru- Saim Devta: The deities for boundaries and Prosperities

Haru and Sainm are important deities for boundaries and prosperity and are worshipped as village guardian dieties. There are temples of Haru-Sainm in Kumaon as Iweshal (nearby cities Haldwani, Sitarganj, Rudrapur).

Haru and Sainm are worshipped together.    

The initial stanzas of Haru-Saim Jagar are as follows:

कुमाऊं और गढ़वाल की लोक गाथाएँ -15  

       हरु -सैम देवता जागर 
(सन्दर्भ - डा गोविन्द चातक , कुमाउंनी लोक गाथायें )

 विंद्रावन मजा होली सैंम ज्यू की सभा हो
विंद्रावन का राजा होला हरी हरू सैंम हो
सात राणी नागणी छना अठुं मसाणि कैंजा हो
गै -भैंसों गोठाण छना नागा -भैंसी हो
चनुवां हेलाण छना रौंली कौंली गाई हो
बिनुवाँ बहड छना गै भैंसी गोठाणी हो
सुतरौटी खाट  होली  रतनौटी कामिल हो
अधराती मंजा हारूसैंम बरदाई देवता हो
सुपना में देखि सैमज्यु ले छिपुला को कोट हो
छिपुला का कोट होलि राणी पिंगला हो
बार भाई छिपुलों की होली एक राणी पिंगला हो
पिंगला देखी सैम ज्यू जाणी कैरुवा को कातो हो
xxx    xxx
बिंद्राबन का सैंम
तिरिया कारण बंद हुई ग्यान हो
सागरी सैंम  को कांसी भाई
हंसुला गढ़े में राजा बणे रयो हो
हरू को भाणिज गोदी को गोरिया
झालराई को पूत हो      

                  There was Kumbh at Hardwar. With her family members, a seven year old girl Kainar reached to Hardwar for auspicious Ganga dipping. There were huts of Sages and Sanyasis.  Kainar built a hut and started living there at Ganges bank.

         Fifth day of Kumbha, at early hours, Kainar thought to take an auspicious dip into Ganges. She started dip into shallow water of up to her knee. She did not get satisfaction from that dip. She crossed inside Ganges. At that very moment sun started rising. The sun rays fell on her body. She felt that she was pregnant.  When she came to her hut, she started crying. She was ashamed of her pregnancy and remembered that she did not obey her family members and took dip.

        When Kainar was ten months pregnant, the child from uterus told Kainar that he would take birth from her left elbow (This type of story is also in Rigveda). The male child took birth from his mother’s left elbow.

      Kainar wanted to go for dipping into Ganges. She gave her son to Guru Gorakhnath for taking care. However, the son went after his mother to protect her. When guru Gorakhnath swa that the child is nowhere he created amale child by Kush and the child started playing. When kainar reached to hut , she was shocked to see two children. Guru Gorakhnath told that she had two children. Elder was Haru and younger was Saim. Guru offered them best education.

   Once, Kairnar , with her sons went to meet her married sister at Bairath. Family members offered Haru and Saim to take care of cattle. Haru and Sainm asked seven queens of Bairath for tasty food. Queens told both the children to win the queen of Chhipulakot if they wanted tasty food.

   Haru started journey for Chhipulakot. He hey had blankets on his soldier and flute on his hand.   

 As soon as they reached to Chipilakot, the king arrested Haru.   When there was no news of Haru for many days, Sainm became worried. Saim put the Jogiya dress and reached to guru Gorakhnath. Guru Gorakhnath taught Sainm the mantra, Yoga and Bogsa techniques. Along with his nephew Goril, with tantra-mantra appliances and applications, saim reached to Chhipulakot. First they reached to Joshimath  in sage dress. They reached to Joshi village. There, Saim sat near Dhuni at water source and started playing flute. All the village women were attracted to those Jogis.T he women did not return to village even after sun set.  Goril made them to understand to retrun to village. The talk of the town was Jogis at Pandyar (water source). Other women also went to see them

One old woman became insane. She told that if that Jogi (Saim) would have come in her youth or he would have come after her death.

  They reached to Malla Katyur. People were busy in paddy plantation. They started playing flutes. People left the jobs and started listening flute.

 Later on, Goril and Saim reached to Chhipulakot. They reached to the place from where Haru was arrested. Goril transformed his body into cat. The cat entered the palace and prison. Goril informed that Saim  was also reached at Chhipulakot.

With the help of Syunra and Pyunra wrestlers they stole the queen of Chhipulakot. Then they freed haru too. When twenty brothers of Chhipilakot kingdom king returned from hunting, Haru, Goril and Saim were at Bairath with queen.

Haru and Sainm are worshipped together. Goril is nephew of Haru and Saim.

Haru and Sainm are the deities of village boundaries or are Guardians of village and provide prosperity.

Copyright (Interpretation) @ Bhishma Kukreti, 28/4/2013 

Folklore, Folk Legends, Folk Myths of Kumaon-Garhwal, Uttarakhand to be continued…16

Religious, Spiritual and Mythological Folklore of Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand to be continued…16   

Curtsey and references:

Dr. Krishna Nand Joshi, Kumaon ka Lok Sahitya (Folklore texts of Kumaon)

 Dr Trilochan Pandey, Kumaoni Bhasha aur Uska Sahity(Folklore literature of Kumaon )

Dr Siva Nand Nautiyal, Garhwal ke Lok Nrityageet  (Folk Songs and dances of Garhwal )

Dr Govind Chatak, Garhwali Lokgathayen (Folklore of Garhwali)

Dr. Govind Chatak, Kumaoni Lokgathayen (Folklore of Kumaoni)

Dr Urbi Datt Upadhyaya, Kumaon ki Lokgathaon ka Sahityik Adhyayan (Literary review of Folklore of Kumaon)

Dr. Prayag Joshi, Kumaon Garhwal ki Lokgathaon ka Vivechnatmak Adhyayan (Critical Review of Folklore of Kumaon and Garhwal)

Dr Dinesh Chandra Baluni, Uttarakhand ki Lokgathayen (Folklore of Uttarakhand)

Dr Jagdish (Jaggu) Naudiyal, Uttarakhand ki Sanskritik Dharohar, (Partially Folklore of Ravain) 

Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna, Dhunyal (Folklore and Folk Songs of Garhwal)

Shambhu Prasad Bahuguna, Virat Hriday

Kusum Budhwar, 2010, Where Gods Dwell: Central Himalayan Folktales and Legends 

C.M. Agarwal , Golu Devta, 1992, The God of Justice of Kumaon Himalayas

Kumaon: Kala, Shilp,aur Sanskriti         www.himvan.com/webpages/dana.htm

Anjali Kapila (2004), Traditional health Practices of Kumaoni women

Notes on village guardian deities Haru and Saim Jagar in Kumaon; village guardian deities Haru and Saim of Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon; village guardian deities Haru and Saim Jagar of  Nainital Kumaon; village guardian  deities Haru and Saim Jagar in Almora Kumaon; village guardian deities Haru and Saim jagar in Bageshwar Kumaon; village guardian  deities Haru and Saim Jagar in Champawat Kumaon; village guardian deities Haru and Saim Jagar in Pithoragarh Kumaon to be continued…