The Untold Story of Goddess Songruma
Ratnadeep Choudhury
Over the years the Bru community of Northeast, especially in Tripura, has been worshipping Mother Nature incarnated in their deity - Songruma. The ethnic tribes have their own rituals for offering their deities, Songruma hold no different and mystery on history of Goddess Songruma writ large.
The origin of the Bru tribe (locally called Reang) is a disputed issue among historians. The Bru have similar lifestyle like the other tribes of Northeast mostly of Mongoloid origin such as the Garo, Boro, Dimasa. It is largely believed that the tribe had its roots either in Tibet or Myanmar. According to historical references, the Bru kingdom stretched from the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh to the Aarakan ranges in Myanmar and the Bru King was conferred the title of 'Fa'. It is also believed that the worship of Goddess Songruma popularized among the Bru tribal during the reign of Bru King Dangua Fa.
The myth behind the origin of Goddess Songruma states that once the Bru kingdom was hit by a drastic drought. There was no rain for moths together, crops died and the tribal community had no food to eat. People started dying. The Bru king was worried when suddenly one night the king dreamt an unusual dream. A girl came to his dream. She told that she is Goddess Songruma, the deity of peace and prosperity. She told the king that she was a deity of the Mog tribe but since the community has adopted Buddhism, they do not revere her any more. Her white stone images are lying beside the River Sankha. She asked the Bru king to bring her stone images from the river bed and establish a temple for her then only their sufferings would disappear. The next morning the Bru king himself went to the River Sankha and found the white stone images lying beside the river. That very night rain came and the Bru tribe found relief from their sufferings. The stone images were brought and temple was built and thus the Bru started performing Songruma Puja.
Later the Bru community took up the title of 'Reang' and the reign of the Reang ruler started but Songruma Puja went on to be apart of the Reangs or Bru tribe. Years went until the Reang rulers became very brutal. A few of the Reang youths revolted and can to Tripura to seek the help of the then Maharaja of erstwhile princely state of Tripura Gobinda Manikya. With the help of the Maharaja of Tripura, the rebels waged a war against the Reang ruler and defeated him. The Maharaja of Tripura conferred upon the rebels the honorary title of 'Rai Kanchan' thus the Rai Kanchan started ruling the Reang tribe but Songruma still remained their most revered deity.
The Reangs tribe then met with another tragedy that changed the way of their life. Invaders belonging to the Kuki and Lushai tribe invaded the Reang kingdom and plundered and ransacked Reang huts, killed the Reang tribal at will. While going, the invaders took away the stone images of Songruma with them. Since then the Reang community have been left with out the images of their deity.
Later the Maharaja of Tripura Ishan Chandra Manikya came to know about the divine glory of Goddess Songruma and collected the images of the deity from the Kuki warlord. He built a temple for the deity at Agartala near the Royal Palace and since then till the reign of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, Goddess Songruma has worshiped under the aegis of the Maharajas.
After the death of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, the princely state of Tripura joined the Indian union. While becoming a part of India, the princely state of Tripura signed an agreement with the then Indian government where a condition was laid that all the religious festival that were performed with the aegis of the Royal family would have to be borne by the Indian Government. Under mysterious circumstances Songruma puja did kept out of the treaty. The reasons for its exclusions have remained buried the anal of history. The Reangs still continue to perform Songruma Puja with great pomp in various stretches of Tripura but without the image of their most revered deity. Instead they have now resorted to use Bamboo sticks to signify the image of Goddess Songruma. Reang community has time and again approached the authorities to resotre the images of their deity but nobody heed to their plea.
Like Songruma Puja there are numerous religious festivals of the indigenous tribe of Northeast that lack luster much for the indifferent attitude of authorities to revive and respect the age old rituals.
The origin of the Bru tribe (locally called Reang) is a disputed issue among historians. The Bru have similar lifestyle like the other tribes of Northeast mostly of Mongoloid origin such as the Garo, Boro, Dimasa. It is largely believed that the tribe had its roots either in Tibet or Myanmar. According to historical references, the Bru kingdom stretched from the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh to the Aarakan ranges in Myanmar and the Bru King was conferred the title of 'Fa'. It is also believed that the worship of Goddess Songruma popularized among the Bru tribal during the reign of Bru King Dangua Fa.
The myth behind the origin of Goddess Songruma states that once the Bru kingdom was hit by a drastic drought. There was no rain for moths together, crops died and the tribal community had no food to eat. People started dying. The Bru king was worried when suddenly one night the king dreamt an unusual dream. A girl came to his dream. She told that she is Goddess Songruma, the deity of peace and prosperity. She told the king that she was a deity of the Mog tribe but since the community has adopted Buddhism, they do not revere her any more. Her white stone images are lying beside the River Sankha. She asked the Bru king to bring her stone images from the river bed and establish a temple for her then only their sufferings would disappear. The next morning the Bru king himself went to the River Sankha and found the white stone images lying beside the river. That very night rain came and the Bru tribe found relief from their sufferings. The stone images were brought and temple was built and thus the Bru started performing Songruma Puja.
Later the Bru community took up the title of 'Reang' and the reign of the Reang ruler started but Songruma Puja went on to be apart of the Reangs or Bru tribe. Years went until the Reang rulers became very brutal. A few of the Reang youths revolted and can to Tripura to seek the help of the then Maharaja of erstwhile princely state of Tripura Gobinda Manikya. With the help of the Maharaja of Tripura, the rebels waged a war against the Reang ruler and defeated him. The Maharaja of Tripura conferred upon the rebels the honorary title of 'Rai Kanchan' thus the Rai Kanchan started ruling the Reang tribe but Songruma still remained their most revered deity.
The Reangs tribe then met with another tragedy that changed the way of their life. Invaders belonging to the Kuki and Lushai tribe invaded the Reang kingdom and plundered and ransacked Reang huts, killed the Reang tribal at will. While going, the invaders took away the stone images of Songruma with them. Since then the Reang community have been left with out the images of their deity.
Later the Maharaja of Tripura Ishan Chandra Manikya came to know about the divine glory of Goddess Songruma and collected the images of the deity from the Kuki warlord. He built a temple for the deity at Agartala near the Royal Palace and since then till the reign of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, Goddess Songruma has worshiped under the aegis of the Maharajas.
After the death of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, the princely state of Tripura joined the Indian union. While becoming a part of India, the princely state of Tripura signed an agreement with the then Indian government where a condition was laid that all the religious festival that were performed with the aegis of the Royal family would have to be borne by the Indian Government. Under mysterious circumstances Songruma puja did kept out of the treaty. The reasons for its exclusions have remained buried the anal of history. The Reangs still continue to perform Songruma Puja with great pomp in various stretches of Tripura but without the image of their most revered deity. Instead they have now resorted to use Bamboo sticks to signify the image of Goddess Songruma. Reang community has time and again approached the authorities to resotre the images of their deity but nobody heed to their plea.
Like Songruma Puja there are numerous religious festivals of the indigenous tribe of Northeast that lack luster much for the indifferent attitude of authorities to revive and respect the age old rituals.
posted by Ratnadeep | 7:26 AM
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