JEYPORE: Tribals of Koraput district have been cultivating land for the past 200 years as per the weather prediction made by their headmen during Biripani Yatra, which concluded at Gadapadar village under Jeypore block on Tuesday. The weather prediction made during the annual festival has been considered as rain parameter by tribals every year. During the festival, the headman makes the rain predictions based on which tribals select the crop.
As per the tradition, the tribal headmen of Bumiya, Parja, Vatra, Amananty, Penthia, Gadva, Soura, Kondh and other communities gather at Gadapadar during the yatra and appease the ‘Devi’ in Bairipani village for weather forecast. After the rituals are completed, the headmen sacrifice cattle heads before the village Goddess and then march in a procession from the village to Kantamali hill where the tribals believe the rain god resides in a ‘chulla’ (stream) near a cave. Only selected headmen are allowed to perform rituals at the ‘chuan’ (source of stream) for the forecast.
Later, one of the priests puts his right hand inside the ‘chuan’ chanting mantras to invoke the rain god and local goddess of Kantamali to show them the rain forecast sign. It is believed that if the ‘chuan’ gets filled with water after the priest puts his hand in it, then there would be good rainfall and good harvest. If there is less water in ‘chuan,’ then there would be medium rain. If the ‘chuan’ is found dry, then there would be drought.
The tribals say the prediction is time-tested and has never gone wrong during the past 200 years. Even the prediction of drought in the past during Biripani Yatra proved true and tribal farmers do their cultivation as per the weather prediction and select their crops. “This year too, the prediction was done at Kantamali ‘chuan’ and the priest predicted good rains and harvest in the areas”, said Guru Nayak, a tribal headman present during the yatra.