Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion

Festival of the Forest

Samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for a year in ancient literary texts. It refers to a year based on the relative position of the planet Jupiter. Ancient texts calculate a Samvatsara to be about 361 days marginally short of a Solar year.

Chausar is a cross and circle board game played since ancient times in India. It is also called Indian Ludo.

The Elapsed Era:

Saugandhika forest wore a festive look.

With the night's last sigh and the Moon's final retreat, the forest and its dwellers waited for the Sun to emerge from its den. The jubilant Yakshas made preparations for the celebration of the much-awaited wedding festival of the forest that symbolized Earth's fertility. The ancient ritual of marriage between two trees was carried with utmost gaiety and zeal. Each year, just before dawn, Amogha would pronounce the start of the festival by blowing the conch three times, waking up the slumbering creatures of the forest to the auspicious occasion.

Celebrated during the turn of the season from monsoon to autumn, a young and frail plant that needed a means of subsistence was chosen to be grafted into the stem of a well-grown tree. Yakshas spent two cycles of sixteen phases of the Moon to plan the wedding and also to choose the young bride plant and the groom tree. This custom injected a new lease of life into undernourished flora and kept the verdure alive.

The lush forest, sated by the abundant rainfall, echoed the verve of its inhabitants. In anticipation of the auspicious dawn, each bud unfurled slowly; tender leaves yawned open gently and the stalks began to sway in the mild breeze even as the vibrant spirit of effervescence swathed the forest. Birds flew over the woods merrily, eager to be part of the festival. In the wee hours before dawn, the Yakshas carried the young plant in a basket, belting out songs in praise of the Earth and the forest. Amogha and a few others waited near the groom tree for the bride to arrive.

As a token of gratitude for rescuing one of their daughters from arch-rivals Kinaras, the Yakshas had invited the prince of Alaka to attend the wedding. Leaving his mare outside the woodlands, Ekveer followed the colourful designs drawn on the ground to the center of the jubilation. The crisp morning lent an air of rhapsody that Ekveer sensed as soon as he entered the wooded expanse. He lingered behind the crowd to watch Amogha perform the marriage. In the community kitchen, Hanneli stirred the pot of lentil soup with a dreamy smile. She waited eagerly for Ekveer to arrive so that she could take him to her favourite spots in Saugandhika.

When the first rays of the Sun spread their glow across the sky and the morning broke, the exuberant Yakshas began the rituals of the wedding with a flourish.

Reaching in time to participate in the tradition, Hanneli's eyes searched for Ekveer; their eyes smouldering with the knowledge of their new-found love.

Ekveer was surprised by the earnestness with which the Yakshas conducted the wedding of a tree and a plant. There was so much conviction in their practices that it rendered the tradition a palpable authenticity. His friends would have scoffed at the absurdity of a wedding between two trees but Ekveer honoured the customs of the tribe. He believed that there was an age-old reason behind such ceremonies.

When the plant was grafted, the Yakshas gave vociferous shouts. Singing and dancing around the groom tree which held the young plant in its trunk, they invited Ekveer to join them. Linking their arms, the dancers moved in swift rhythm to the beat of the drums. Stamping the ground in perfect synchronization with the primitive beats, they sang songs and uttered cries of joy. Ekveer tried to watch their movements closely and imitate them. He noticed Hanneli laughing at his clumsy efforts. Giving up after some time, he drifted towards Hanneli.