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Festival of Bala Sahib

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 15, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 3.

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Festival of Bala Sahib

By LEON G. WOOD

LEON G. WOOD
THE Hindus have no special day of the week for worship, as the Sabbath among Christians and Friday among Mohammedans. There are, however, numerous festivals held during the year. At these times but little work is done. Some attend them as a religious duty, others for amusement, while many combine both objects.
A great festival is held annually at Deolgaon Raja, in Chikli Taluq, in honor of Bala Sahib, the Hindu's principal golden god. This image is of solid gold, and is about eight inches high. It is said this god was in the house of a Brahman who worshiped it daily. One night thieves entered his house and stole the god. When they were about half a mile from the house, they became blind, so they could not run with the stolen property. The thieves were caught and punished by both god and man.
Some time after that Jadhar was the king of Deolgaon Raja and Suidhkhed. He resided at Suidhkhed, a village in the Mikkar Taluq. Tradition says that when this king was in a sound sleep, he dreamed that he heard Balazi speaking to him and saying that as he was the ruler of Deolgaon Raja he should build a temple at the place Balazi pointed out. The king accordingly obeyed the god and built a great temple at Deolgaon Raja. When the temple was finished, the king removed the god from the house of the old Brahman to Deolgaon Raja with great joy.
The story concerning Balazi's making his enemies blind gradually spread all over the world. Day by day Hindus began to trust more and more in their god of gold, and resolved to have a great fair once a year at his temple.
The first day of the fair Balazi is removed from the inner room to the front room of the temple by the attendant, where the people can see and worship him with offerings during the festival. In front of Balazi an arbor is erected. He is kept for fifteen days in the front room, and after this he is again put in his appointed place. The first and last days of the fair are considered most holy days. At midnight of the first day Balazi goes to the river in a palanquin to take a bath, and helps his worshipers to gain victory over Ronan, the demon king of Eylon. The people who touch the palanquin or carry it on their shoulders at the time of Balazi's going to the river are said to have all the sins removed that they have committed in ten births. Thousands of people try to touch this palanquin in order to be saved. Many are thrown down, and many are wounded. When Balazi reaches the river, the bank of the river is illuminated. People stay at the river until the daybreak, struggling to touch the palanquin for salvation.
The last day of the festival is spent in great joy by the pilgrims. Early in the morning thousands of them gather under the arbor before Balazi to worship and to receive a sacrament. While they are receiving the sacrament, the ropes of the arbor are cut and the large beams fall to the ground. Those who are not careful are badly wounded. After this ceremony all shops in the market of the fair are opened for a month.
The annual income of Balazi is nearly 80,000 rupees ($2,666), which is given by his worshipers. Balazi is made of gold by man. "They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cryunto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble." Isa. 46: 6, 7. "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: . . . feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them." Ps. 115: 4-8.
Kalyan, India.