Keeping alive the tradition of worshipping Sanjhi Mata

Times have changed, and with it, the manner in which certain traditions are now celebrated, like the practice of worshipping Sanjhi Mata — the deity of prosperity and peace — on the first day of the Navratras.

The deity is installed on day one of Navratras and immersed in a water body on Dashera.

The image of Sanjhi is designed on the first day of the nine days of Durga Puja or Navratras, and installed on a wall. Cow dung is used as the base, and cotton and paper is used to decorate it.

To keep the tradition alive, residents of suburban localities in this part of Malwa are sticking to the old ways. Madhuri Gautam, who has been installing Sanjhi at her home for over four decades, regrets that people have started "undermining the importance of our traditions in the name of modernity".

“Forget religious beliefs, the art of preparing clay models of various parts of Sanjhi, cosmic bodies and items of daily use enhances craftsmanship, creativity and knowledge about various aspects of the universe,” says Madhuri, appreciating that her children and grandchildren have been taking keen interest in continuing this tradition.

While most families with elderly women continue to make the images of Sanjhi Mata, besides animate and inanimate objects, with mud, others prefer to purchase readymade Sanjhi.

Every evening, women and children from the neighbourhood are invited to sing bhajans and perform aarti, highlighting the importance of various components, including body parts, ornaments adorning them and heavenly bodies.

Having a genesis in religious beliefs of Hindu communities in northern states, including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the tradition of Sanjhi was also known for promoting art, astronomy and knowledge about relationships in a patriarchal setup.

Rekha Kumra, a retired teacher, says people have started worshipping Sanjhi Mata through the medium of calendars and posters. “The gesture of inviting neighbours and distributing sweets as prasad brought by them on different days helps perpetuate the tradition, even if a single family in a mohalla installs Sanjhi,” she says.

The festival concludes with the immersion of Sanjhi in a nearby water body on the morning of Dashera.