Witness Fire, Faith & Fierce Rituals At Bengal’s Charak Puja Festival

A haze of incense hangs in the dusk air as drums beat in hypnotic rhythm. Barefoot men dressed in red gather around a towering wooden pole—the Charak Tree—shorn of branches, crowned with a mask of Ardhanarishwar (a form of Shiva combined with Parvati). Around them, a crowd holds its breath. Then, in a moment of charged silence, a devotee is hoisted into the air, suspended from ropes tied to his body, swinging slowly in circles. This is not a performance, it is an act of deep faith.

This is Charak Puja, one of Bengal’s most visceral festivals, where pain becomes prayer and the body a vessel of transcendence. Rooted in agrarian and marginalised communities, the month-long observance culminates on Chaitra Sankranti (mid-April). Participants (known as Charak or Gajan sanyasis) undergo rigorous fasting, celibacy, and physical austerities before offering themselves to symbolic trials; it absolves them of their caste identity.

The hooks, the fasting, the fire—all of it carries meaning. In surrendering to pain, devotees honour Shiva, seek blessings for the village, and momentarily transcend the wheel of life.

Tracing The Roots

The origins of Charak Puja are hazy, though some historians link it to the decline of Buddhism in Bengal around the 10th century, when Buddhist monks began adopting Hindu practices, including Tantric rites marked by intense asceticism. Traditionally rooted in non-Brahmin and agrarian communities—such as the Bagdi, Haadi, Dom, Bauri, and Muchi—the festival emerged as a deeply embodied expression of folk devotion.

Many of these communities worshipped Dharmathakur, a local deity variously associated with Shiva, Vishnu, or even the Buddha. As Dharmathakur became absorbed into the broader Hindu pantheon, “Dharmer Gajan” evolved into “Shiber Gajan,” especially during Chaitra Sankranti. Today, while Shiber Gajan remains widespread, forms of Dharmer Gajan continue to vary depending on the deity venerated.

A Month Of Devotion

A month of austerity precedes Charak Puja. Gajan sanyasis undertake a strict fast, renounce family life, wear red robes, and spend their nights in makeshift mandapas, venturing out only with permission from their spiritual guide. These acts of discipline prepare them for the rituals that follow.

At the centre of the celebration stands the Charak Tree—usually a tall Gurjan tree (Dipterocarpus turbinatus)—stripped of roots and branches. It represents Ardhanarishwar and symbolises divine unions, such as those between Shiva and Nilavati or Dharmaraj and his consort. As part of an important ritual, a mask of Ardhanarishwar is first placed on the Charak tree and worshipped. Only after this worship is completed, the tree is erected, and a large wheel-like structure made of bamboo is fixed on top for the subsequent rituals. From this wheel, the sanyasis are suspended and spun—hooks pierced through the skin of their backs, ropes fastening them to the wheel. The piercing is seen as a rite of transformation, allowing the devotee to experience the pain of childbirth and transcend their bodily identity, virtually turning them into women. In some towns like Batanal in Hooghly district, sanyasis are even nailed to wooden crosses. Mothers often bring their infants to the hanging men for blessings, believing the act bestows protection and good health.

Once the rituals end, the tree is ceremonially immersed in a river, only to be brought back the following year by the same community. In urban Kolkata, the tradition has softened—at places like Chatu Babu Latu Babu Bazar and Kalighat, devotees are only tied with ropes, not pierced. Across the border in Bangladesh, the festival survives in greater variety, though it remains largely rural.

The Day Of Penance

One of the most vivid historical accounts of Charak Puja in pre-colonial Kolkata comes from Kaliprassanna Singha’s "Hutom Pyanchar Naksha." In those days, the festival was celebrated with great fervour across the city’s neighbourhoods—so much so that the British once attempted to ban it due to its graphic rituals.

Remarkably, at some sites, priests insert the hooks into the skin with practised precision—avoiding veins, causing minimal bleeding, and often leaving no visible wounds. To aid recovery, they apply a medicinal paste made from the Gulancha plant, also known as Giloy or Tinospora cordifolia, prized for its skin-healing properties.

In Kurmun (Bardhaman district), rituals become even more esoteric, sometimes involving fire rites and symbolic gestures with human remains.

On the eve of the final day of Chaitra, Shiva’s mystical wedding to Nilavati is re-enacted. One of the most elaborate observances is the Hajra Puja, or Baro Devatar Puja, still held in places like Murshidabad and Cossimbazar. Sanyasis dress as a pantheon of 12 deities—including Kali, Bhoot, Jokini, and Bishahari—and run through the streets brandishing real weapons.

As the festival draws to a close, Charak Mela processions take over village streets. Performers from the Rajbangshi caste appear in vivid face paint and elaborate costumes as shoungs—ritual jesters who parody, protect, and provoke. Villages like Krishnadevpur near Kalna, and Sirpara in Murshidabad, are known for their finely detailed shoung masks and makeup. In some places, young girls now take part too, donning the same face paint and garb—adding an inclusive layer to this powerful tradition.

A People's Festival

What endures through the fervour and pain of Charak Puja is its unyielding spirit. In remote villages and crowded neighbourhoods alike, the festival lives on. Its rituals evolving, its meanings layered, but its devotion intact. Whether through hook-suspension rites or street theatre, Charak offers a glimpse into a world where faith is both fierce and intimate. Though modernity has softened some of its more extreme expressions, the core impulse—to transcend suffering, caste, and identity in pursuit of something larger—remains. As the final processions wind through Bengal’s lanes, what lingers is not spectacle, but the quiet, enduring hum of belief.

FAQs

Q1. What is Charak Puja and why is it celebrated?
Charak Puja is an ancient folk festival of Bengal, dedicated to Lord Shiva, marked by rituals of endurance and devotion symbolising purification and penance.

Q2. When is Charak Puja celebrated in 2025?
Charak Puja falls in mid-April, just before the Bengali New Year (Poila Boishakh).

Q3. Where can travellers witness Charak Puja in Bengal?
It is celebrated in rural Bengal, especially Birbhum, Malda, Nadia, and areas around Kolkata.

Q4. Is Charak Puja safe for tourists to attend?
Yes, but visitors should maintain respect for local traditions, avoid obstructing rituals, and follow community guidelines.

Q5. What makes Charak Puja unique compared to other festivals?
The festival’s dramatic rituals, including hook swinging and fire walking, make it one of Bengal’s most striking and intense folk celebrations.

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