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Gahma Purnima
 Region: Rural Areas of Orissa
Falls On:
Full-moon day in the Month of Shravana (August)
Also Known As:
Go Purnima, Baladeva Puja or Baladeva Jayanti
Deity:
Baladeva
Time for the Festivity
This festival is celebrated as a merry festival of 'Gahma Pumei', on the full moon day of the lunar month of Shravana and is especially auspicious to agriculturists. On this day, cattle, especially plough cattle, are colorfully decorated and given special offering and are worshipped as 'Go-Lakshmi'.
That is the day of rest for the cattle. This festival has much magnetism for some tribal groups like the Hill Bhuiyan of Orissa that in these lean months of semi-starvations.
A Celebration for the Farmers
Bullocks are the most important animals for an agriculturist in India. When ploughing the field with bullocks is over the farmers venerate them for the service they have rendered. Along with the cattle the God of agriculture 'Baladeva' is also worshipped. The spiritual scriptures testify that 'Balarama' invented the plough and showed the people all methods of farming.
Therefore, bullock is His vehicle and the plough, His weapon. He has been also taken in as an incarnation of Vishnu in Holy Scriptures. It is for this reason this festival is also known as "Baladeva Puja" or "Baladeva Jayanti" in some areas.On this day the cattle shed is cleaned and neatly plastered and sketches of bullocks, bullock carts, ploughs and other agricultural implements are drawn on the walls. Bullocks are bathed and decorated with flowers and sandle-paste.
Their horns are oiled. The rituals of worship take place in the cattle-shed itself for which Brahmins are not needed. A piece of new cloth is placed on the back of the bullocks and they are fed with rice-cakes and pulses.
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