Cremation, Caste, and Cosmogony in Karmic Traditions.

Today, many sweepers working in the municipality are
also Muslims (ibid:65), but the Muslim sweepers try to
avoid contact with the Hindu sweepers, and the Muslims
are often carrying out the work involving excrements –
the most defiling work (ibid:117-118).
Since Jagadbandhu loves everyone and he is the “friend
of the universe”, the sweepers chose the name of their
para “Bandhab-palli” meaning “friend(ly)-locality”
(Asaduzzaman 1996:14). The sweepers are followers of
Jagadbandhu, but they still perform Kali puja, Durga
puja, Saraswati puja, and Duljatra puja (a colour
spraying ritual, similar to Holi), among other pujas. The
Jagadbandhu temple was built in 1975 by the community
(fig. 6.9), and each day they pray to the God and offer
him fruit, but they never sacrifice animals in this temple
(fig. 6.10).
Dr. Mohnam Brahmachari from the ashram taught them
Jagadbandhu’s truths, and according to themselves, they
saw the light and became blessed and saved. Dr.
Brahmachari was from Calcutta and he came three-four
times after they built the temple. Today, Shubratu
Bhottacharya from the ashram is in charge and
responsible for the teaching, and he comes monthly to
guide and supervise the sweepers. Before they received
the teachings of Jagadbandhu they had a lot of problems,
and many were addicted to alcohol. Even though there
are still many problems, and the sweepers continue
drinking alcohol and making their own local rice beer,
they have improved their condition and social life.
Until 1979 no images of Durga or Shama Kali were
found within Bandhabpalli, “in fact, up to that time it
was extremely difficult or perhaps impossible to find a
Brahmin who would perform such pujas inside the
Bandhabpalli, the place of Untouchables whose contact
not only makes the Brahmin ritually polluted but also
may entail the danger of being outcasted” (Asaduzzaman
1990:124). Some sweepers used to respect Durga by
paying homage to the goddess when they passed by such
temples on the street. However, they emphasised that it
was the sun puja, and not Durga puja, that was the most
important (ibid). No Brahman or ritual specialist was
needed for performing the sun worship, and everyone
among the devotees could communicate directly with the
Sun God (ibid:129). Since 1979 Brahman priests have
been used in the Durga and Shama Kali pujas in
Bandhabpalli. Especially the Shashan Kali ritual seems
to be particular to the Hari community (ibid:131).
Shashan Kali is, they believe, the most powerful, since
she is connected with death, fire, and destruction, and to
avoid unexpected misfortune they have to propitiate the
Goddess (ibid:134). The sweepers worship Shashan Kali
in their homes on family or household basis within
Bandabhpalli, and not at the Shashan Ambikapur Ghat.
There is basically one person from the household, even
an unmarried girl, who may have the responsibility of
performing the puja, and they have their own religious
specialists for these rituals (Asaduzzaman 2001:237).
101
Nowadays the sweepers have their own Kali temples, but
before they made their own temples, they had go to other
Kali temples ruled by Brahmans. Since they belonged to
the schedule castes they could not enter the temples
themselves, and they needed others to perform sacrifices
for them. This was a highly unsatisfactory situation, but
Kali has always been the goddess for the low-castes, and
Brahman priests are not mandatory in Kali temples.
Therefore, they built their own Kali temples and started
to worship the Mother. This triggered off other religious
changes, and gradually they were allowed into other
temples in Faridpur, although they were mainly using
their own temples. In other words, when they were
prohibited from participation in other temples, they
became devotees of Kali, and performed the rituals
without priests. This was also unsatisfactory for the
Brahman priests. After Dr. Brahmachari taught them the
truth they became more accepted by other Hindus and
could perform rituals in the same temples. According to
the sweepers, not only Brahmans but everyone in the
town refused to accept water from them, but after they
received the teachings from Jagadbandhu everyone
accepted water from the sweepers, including the
Brahmans. They may arrange marriages without
Brahmans, but nowadays most sweepers think it is better
and more appropriate to employ a priest, although some
marriages are conducted without priests. They observe
13 days of pollution after death, and for death rituals
Brahman priests are not necessary. Today, within the
community there are ten personal Kali-temples, one
Maneshor temple (Maneshor is perceived as a sister of
Kali), one Shitola temple (Shitola is another sister of
Kali – the shrine is a tree and a Shiva-linga), two
communal temples for Kali, Saraswati, and Durga
rituals, and finally the Jagadbandhu temple located in
heart of the sweeper’s para.
Twice a year the sweepers organise a religious gathering
where they invite a priest to read from the Vedas and
teach them religion. These religious gatherings are
expensive, and they only arrange them if they can afford
it. Before the gatherings they announce the happening in
the town by loudspeakers carried on rickshaws, and the
meetings are open for all Hindus. The low-castes sit
together at the main compound where the Jagadbandhu
temple is, and they learn about the religion. They are
truly devoted, and as illiterate and non-scholars they
want to learn more about their faith. Especially during
the six-day Durga festival the sweepers employ a
Brahman who conducts the appropriate rituals. The
sweepers themselves initiate the divine soul in the statue,
but they need a Brahman priest to keep the ritual
continuity throughout the festival. The first new-year
day (Bengali year) they observe puja in the Jagadbandhu
temple, and on the last day of the year they observe Kali
puja, which includes slaughtering of a goat for Shitola –
a sister of Kali. Shitola is the goddess for protection
from diseases, especially chicken pox and water pox,
and by the sacrifice Shitola will protect the para.