The Meriah song is deeply embedded in the religious symbolism of the Kondhs. The meriah sloka is sung during the sacrifice of the meriah.

Earlier humans were sacrificed as part of the ritual. A Meriah was brought by the Kondh community and consecrated as the object of sacrifice. As part of the ceremony he was worshipped before invoking the Goddess. Now animals are sacrificed but the religious ritual remains the same.

The Niyamgiri Hills

The Kondh is deeply connected with the natural and the supernatural world. He invokes the earth goddess Dhartani in this sloka for the welfare of the community. The sloka is meant to invoke in the Kondh, the fear of the unknown and the final surrender to the higher forces.

As it is a ritual incantation it cannot be uttered in any other occasion. There are strict conditions under which a Kondh priest (jani) learns and performs the ritual. The secrecy around this sloka is what makes the Meriah song most powerful. 

The incantation is in three parts. The villagers sing the first part of the song when they procure the Meriah who has been given shelter at the house of the saonta or the headman. The second song is sung when the first wound is inflicted on the Meriah’s body. The song is to symbolize the fertilization of the earth. The body of the Meriah is buried in the field to appease Dhartani and fertilize the earth. The third song is a prayer to the earth goddess to bless the community.

“The First Stab”

Here we sacrifice the enemy,

Here we sacrifice the meriah,

The gods eat up this sacrifice,

The enemy is thus worshipped.

Let there be no collective loss,

Let no tigers prowl;

The gods need so many bribes,

So many offerings.

Let there be no dark forests,

No calamity

Let all be happy

Let all live in peace.

(The Awakened Wind, Sitakanta Mahapatra)

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