A Small Temple in Respect of Religion,
Tradition, and for the Protection of the New
Water Sources
| A miniature temple is constructed
adjacent to the platform of each well so that the
site, in addition to supplying safe water,
becomes also a place of worship . A little statue
of a divinity selected by villagers is installed
inside the little temple; preference is generally
given to the Elephant God (Lord Gasnesh),
believed to be the remover of obstacles. With the
construction of the little temple the site
becomes a sacred place and as such it prevents
that water is used for washing clothes or for
animals drinking. Villagers before collecting
water , knell in front of the temple in
performing "darshan" for thanking God
for the gift of water.Furthermore, the presence
of the temple helps to avoid possible disputes
about land ownership of the site (many Adivasi
villages are located on hilltops, where drilling
is not recommended; in many cases, they are
land-less and therefore drilling is done in lands
that does not belong to them). |
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The Pooja Ceremony
Upon completion of the pump installation in
each of the successful boreholes, a Pooja (religious
ceremony) is performed in front of the little temple by a
lady who volunteers or is selected by villagers. The main
objective in performing the Pooja is to thank God for
having found crystal clear safe water, which improve the
people's health and protect them from water-borne
disease.
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Garlands, cum-cum (red powder),
incense sticks and coconuts are used during the
ceremony while people sing bajans (religious
songs). The Pooja creates an intense moment of
happiness among the participants, rarely felt in
poor Adivasi villages. After the Pooja, my wife,
Kathe, distributes, as Prasad (gift of God),
coconut chips and biscuits to all the villagers.
During the whole ceremony all social barriers
disappear; everybody feels a great sense of
spirituality and love for each other. The main
reward for my wife and myself is to see happy and
radiant faces of children, women and men at the
completion of the religious ceremony during which
the new water source is officially handed-over to
the villagers. Instructions about the hygenic use
of the well concludes the handing over of the new
water source. |
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