As forests burst into a symphony of fresh green foliage and Sal trees bloom with reverence, Janjati communities across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha welcome the Sarhul festival an ancient, deeply rooted celebration that honours nature, marks the Janjati New Year, and sends a compelling message in an age of ecological crisis: “Protecting the Earth is protecting ourselves.”
Chhattisgarh, home to a rich concentration of Janjati communities including the Oraon, Munda, Khadia, and Santal, becomes a canvas of colours and rhythms during Sarhul. Celebrated in the Chaitra-Vaishakh months (March-April), Sarhul marks the Janjati New Year, coinciding with the first blooming of the Sal tree — a tree held sacred and believed to house the divine essence of Sarna Maa, the Janjati village deity.
In Jashpur’s Jamwantpur village, the festival commenced with a deep-rooted ritual — the establishment of Sarna (the sacred grove) followed by prayers and symbolic offerings to nature. “We celebrate the marriage of Earth and the Sun during Sarhul. This union represents fertility, growth, and life itself,” explains Shankar Dayal Oraon, a local community elder.
At sunrise, the Pahan (village pandit) led the ritual with Sal flowers, rice beer, and vermillion placed before the Sarna trees. These rituals, deeply symbolic, underscore an ecological worldview: Nature renews herself — old leaves fall, new life emerges, and humanity must move in rhythm with these cycles.
At the heart of this three-day festival lies a sacred ritual — the symbolic marriage of the Earth and the Sun. In Janjati belief, this celestial union gives birth to new life, prosperity, and seasonal renewal. “Jaise ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, waise hi ‘Naagrik Devo Bhava’ — and for us, it begins with Nature,” says Shankar Dayal Oraon of Jashpur, echoing the spiritual and ecological foundation of Sarhul.
Worship is conducted around the Sarna Sthal, the sacred grove, where the village priest (Pahan) and his wife (Pahen) personify the Sun and the Earth. Tribes like the Oraon, Munda, Ho, Khadia, and Santal offer Sal flowers, fruits, vermilion, roosters, and other elements of nature to Sarna Maa, their village deity. These rituals underscore a powerful ecological ethos—nothing in nature is to be taken for granted, and everything must be given back.
Women like Dhankumari, a participant from the local community, played a central role in the celebration. Dressed in traditional sarees, their hair adorned with Sal blossoms, they danced in vibrant processions, their feet synchronising with the drumbeats of Mandar and Dhol. “Sarhul is our offering to Mother Earth,” says Dhankumari, “It is not just about worship but reaffirming our connection to the land, water, and forests.”
The festival is not limited to rituals. It is also a cultural assertion. From Janjati songs that tell stories of nature and resilience, to feasts that serve traditional Janjati delicacies like peetha, mahua, and wild vegetables — Sarhul transforms every household into a celebration of sustainable living.
This year, Sarhul became a movement as much as a festival. Janjati men and women from across the Jashpur district took out a rally from the Sarna Sthal, performing their traditional dance and calling attention to the urgent need for protecting forests, rivers, and sacred groves. Placards and oral slogans alike carried the core message: “Nature is not property. It is ancestry.”
As industrial pressures, mining activities, and deforestation continue to pose existential threats to Janjati lands in Chhattisgarh, Sarhul emerges not merely as a cultural event, but as an indigenous climate call. “The Earth is our mother. We do not worship murtis — we worship the soil that feeds us, the trees that shade us, and the rivers that quench our thirst,” said one Janjati youth during the cultural gathering.
