Toki Parab
The jani of the Kandh-paraja village had a daughter named Rasamauna. Her marriage was fixed to a boy from another village Mundradharia. Only a few days were left for the marriage when Rasamauna fell in love with Baplamada. Hearing of her interest, the jani cancelled the previous marriage negotiation and gave his daughter in marriage to Baplamada.
Many months after her marriage, Rasamauna saw Mundradhar, her proposed groom, in the forest. They fell in love. Her husband came to know of this and went to the jani. He demanded that his bride price be returned and that Rasamauna be remarried.
The jani had to return the bride price and also had to pay a fine to the people, for his daughter’s remarriage. The date for the marriage was fixed.
Meanwhile the village was getting ready for the Meriah parab. But they still did not have a meriah. The day of the festival arrived and yet there was no meriah. The jani suddenly took his daughter and sacrificed her in front of the goddess.
Since then the Kandh-paraja have celebrated the Toki Mara. Toki meaning girl and mara meaning sacrifice. The eldest daughter of the jani is called a Toki.
This festival is celebrated in the eastern parts of Kalahandi, in Jaipatna, Kokora and Thuamul rampur. The Kondh jaati used to celebrate Meriah parab through human sacrifice while the Kandh-paraja sacrificed only virgin girls for Toki Parab to appease the earth goddess. Now the Kondh perform the Podh puja or the Podhmara Jatra where a buffalo is sacrificed while in the Toki Parab an ewe is sacrificed.
The Toki parab is celebrated in the month of Pausa (January) preceding or following the Makar Sankranti. The people from nearby villages are invited and they too stay through the duration of seven days of the festival.
The Jani is offered an ewe who is named Rasmauna after the Kandh-paraja myth. The jani takes care of the ewe as his own Toki or daughter. On the second day the villagers along with the shaman go to the hill where they worship Gurubudha or Budharaja and perform a ritual called Tangi Utra. Tangi means axe and this ritual means bringing the axe from the goddess Dharni mata.
On the third day called Tokipargha the Toki or now the ewe is bathed with turmeric and water and taken around the village. The villagers sing and dance during this procession and also in the evening.
On the fourth day the ewe is sacrificed by the jani and its liver kept in an earthen vessel. The people from other villages also bring their earth goddesses and to appease these goddesses a pig is sacrificed.
On the fifth day called the Tokimara day the people from all villages nearby are invited and they come in a procession carrying wooden clubs, axes and bamboo sticks. They dance to the beat of the nisan. The jani and disari take the dead body of the ewe, the Toki, and the Mutpani. A girl is dressed in red garb and is told to carry these two items. She is seared on a bamboo box and is carried near the place of ritual surrounded by Kandh-paraja boys carrying weapons to protect her.
The sixth day of the parab is called Dhangridola. On this day the dhangdas and dhangdis of the Kandh-paraja jaati can socialize and choose their life partners. They dance to music of Dhap and dungdunga. They compete with each other singing love songs.
On the seventh day a newly married couple lead the procession to the hill and they worship Budharaja again. At night the Jani surrenders the sacrificial weapon again to the earth goddess.
Links– Podhmara Meriah Dhap Dhangda-Dhangdi geet Nangmati Rajphulia