Festival - Bihula or Bishahri

Bihula or Bishahri is a prominent festival of Eastern Bihar. It is particularly famous in Bhagalpur and the adjoining areas.

This festival is observed every August and prayers are offered to Goddess Mansa. The festival nurses the brilliant Manjusha Art, which is as magnificent as the other folk arts of Bihar like Jadopetiya of Santhal Parganas and Madhubani paintings of Mithilanchal.

Pandals are decorated for Bishahri and women sing folk songs from a month earlier. The Bishahri Puja is observed on “Singh Nashatra” in the Hindu month of Bhadra, which coincides with the 16th or 17th of August.

Have you heard about Bihula or Bishahri before?

The principal aim of Bihula or Bishahri is to please the Goddess Bishahri in order to save people from the wrath of snakes. Temple-shaped boxes called “Manjusha”s form an integral part of the puja. Devotees keep their puja articles in them. The “Manjusha”s are made of paper and jute straws. They depict sketches of various characters and thus present a vivid description of the entire mythology attached to Bishahri puja.

Bishahri puja has a very interesting myth attached to it. Does anybody know about it? Have you ever seen Bishahri puja being performed?

I happen to know the myth behind this festival.

Jaya, Padma, Devi, Maina and Bhawani were the “Manas Putriyan” of Lord Shiva. They were also called Bishahari. Once they confided in Lord Shiva about their earnest desire to be worshipped on the earth. Lord Shiva thought about it for a while and then conditioned that if his devotee Chando agrees to worship the five sisters, only then it is acceptable to Him.

Chando was a trader who resided at Champanager on the western ouirts of Bhagalpur town. He refused to comply to the wishes of the five sisters.

Does anybody know what happened next?

Yes, I know what happened next.

When Chando declined their wishes of being worshipped, the five Manas Putriyan got infuriated. They killed all the six sons of Chando and drowned his ship carrying merchandise. Some time later, Chando’s wife Sonika, gave birth to another son, named Bala.

Around the same time, an Ujjain based trader, Basu, had a daughter named Bihula. After, Bala and Bihula grew into adults their families fixed their marriage. The raging Manas Putriyan threatened to kill Bala on the night of his wedding.

Chando had built a compact dwelling, made of bamboo and iron, in order to stop them from entering the house and harming the couple.

Does anybody know what happened next?

Yes, I happen to know what happened next. The still angry Bishahri sisters somehow manage to slip a Naag or snake inside the new dwelling. That snake bit Bala and the poison killed him instantaneously. Bihula was stubborn and did not accept that her husband was no more. She prepared a Manjusha-shaped boat and carried the body of Bala to “Indralok” or heaven.

She prayed fervently to the Gods to resurrect her husband. Pleased with her devotion, the divine powers gave Bala’s life back. After returning from “Indralok”, Bihula persuaded Chando to worship Bishahri.

Since then, the Bishahri Puja is observed.