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Valmiki (Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, vālmīki Panjabi: ਬਾਲਮੀਕਿ ) is a religion of India and Pakistan whose members revere Valmiki as the avatar of God. It is practiced by some Dalit or Harijan communities in the Indian state of Punjab, India and also in Pakistan.
[edit] Background[edit] Valmiki Valmiki was a Kirata Bhil Adivasi. Balmikis believe that Valmiki was the avatar of God, and they consider his works, the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha, as their holy scripture. The poet-philosopher Appayya Dikshita also believed Valmiki was the incarnation of Lord Brahma.[1] A few scholars in the modern age believe that the text of the Ramayana may propose that Valmiki is an avatar of Lord Vishnu.[2] [edit] RamayanaThe Rāmāyaṇa consists of 24,001 verses in seven cantos (kāṇḍas) and tells the story of a prince, Lord Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon Rākshasa, king of Lanka, Rāvana. The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, or about the same time as early versions of the Mahabhārata. As with most traditional epics, since it has gone through a long process of interpolations and redactions, it is impossible to date it accurately. [edit] Balmiki beliefs
[edit] Festivals
[edit] The Ashram A Balmiki temple is called an ashram. The ashram serves as a center for building up the commitment of devotees and for transmitting the Ramayana's message, and the focal point for the whole community to preserve their culture and traditions. The ashram is open to all who wish to enter, anyone who goes to the Ashram is welcome to stay as long as they wish and are welcome regardless of race, gender, caste or creed. In Britain, ashrams come in various sizes. Some tend to be specially constructed, while others tend to be renovated buildings designed to enable the purpose of worship. All Balmiki ashrams have a special flag outside to show that it is a place of worship. The bow and arrow represents Valmiki's disciples Lav and Kush. For Balmikis communal prayer is not restricted to the confines of the ashram, but can in fact take place anywhere as long as the Ramayana is present. When an ashram is not within traveling distance, many Balmiki families will have a copy of the Ramayana in a special room at their house to use for worship. When an ashram is not available Balmikis will hire a public building or use an individual’s house as an ashram. All Balmiki ashrams have common features. For instance, the place of worship is always in a special room and there are a number of other rooms set-aside for special purposes. There is a langar[disambiguation needed] hall where all the devotees congregate for a meal, the community kitchen where devotees help to prepare food for the langer. A classroom and library where the Ramayana is stocked for study and is used for teaching young children. A music room where musical instruments such as the Tabla are taught and hymns are practiced for worship. Finally, there is a special area for shoes and washing. Balmikis follow certain rules of conduct and before entering the worship room. Everyone is expected to remove their shoes as a sign of respect but also for general cleanliness. Devotees may not enter the ashram if they are carrying alcohol, drugs, or meat. As devotees enter the worship room they approach the Ramayana, which is covered with an embroidered cloth and is kept on a platform covered with a special canopy. Each devotee kneels before the Ramayana and makes their offering of prayer and money. It is not essential that devotees offer money and some may wish to donate food towards the langar. The devotees then retreat to find a place to sit down. Usually a picture of Valmiki is placed in front of the Ramayana to help focus concentration and incense sticks are lit to purify the air. Everyone sits on the floor to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, regardless of whether they come from a rich or poor background, but men and women usually sit separately. The women tend to sit on the left side of the room while the men sit on the right. There is no Balmiki religious significance for this except for Sikh traditional influence on the community. There is no special day for worship during the week, but since work restricts one’s availability for worship, most Balmikis attend the ashram on Sundays. Devotees are at liberty to come and go at any time during the Puja service, which usually lasts about three hours. The Puja begins by everyone standing up to say a prayer which is called the Ardas, then the Priest (Pujari) begins to read sections of the Ramayana. At short intervals reading from the Ramayana will stop and devotees will be called to the platform to preach and sing hymns. At the end of the puja the whole congregation will stand and say a prayer called the Arthi. The Arthi is followed by the distribution of Karah Prashad, which is made from flour, sugar, butter and water. Karah Parshad is given to each devotee who has come to hear the Ramayana. The food is taken from one bowl only and is a symbol of unity. Eventually, all the devotees will congregate in the langar hall, for a meal, for which no one has to pay. All are welcome to share the langar, which is always vegetarian. Sharing of food together is designed to unite people from all sections of the society and to promote equality between all human beings. In some ashrams, a Guru Granth Sahib is kept alongside the Ramayana and Mazhabi Sikhs worship together with Balmikis.[citation needed] [edit] Ardas The Balmiki Ardas is read standing facing the Ramayana. Translation as follows:
[edit] ArthiThe Balmiki arthi is read at the end of the reading of the Ramayana. Translation as follows:[citation needed]
[edit] MarriageMarriage is regarded as being very important for Balmikis, as the essence of the Ramayana revolves around Rama and Sita and their trials and tribulations before and after wedlock. Balmiki marriages are a mixture of culture, tradition, and religion and are known as Vedic marriages (fire in the center of 4 pots). They are traditionally arranged but there is no religious significances for this. The wedding ceremony usually takes place in the ashram under a special canopy. The marriage vows are performed by a pujari who reads the four special verses from the Ramayana and at the end of each verse the bride and the groom are expected to take steps around a sacred fire or Agni Havan to bless their marriage. It is important to realize that Balmiki weddings need not take place in the ashram, but can take place wherever the Ramayana is present. There is often an engagement ceremony prior to the wedding ceremony, during which both families gather and exchange gifts. However, just before friends and relatives visit the bride and groom and often they will bring presents which usually take the form of cloths, gold, jewelry, money, coconuts, or sugar. For both the bride and groom often the events before the wedding day are very similar, for instance three days before the wedding day the mum will draw a circle on the ground. This circle usually consists of flour, water and a piece of wood is then placed in the middle of the circle. It is believed that by doing this it will enable the couple to have the children they desire. Now the bride will sit on the wood while friends and relatives hold a red headscarf over her head. This is then followed by the chanting of traditional marriage songs and in turn friends and relatives will brush some oil and turmeric on to her hair. At the end of this ceremony the mother will make five hand prints on the wall, in the belief that this will bring good luck to the marriage. Traditionally the bride to be decorated with patterns drawn in Henna on her hands and feet. There is no religious significance for this and it is merely part of the pomp and pageantry of wedding. The bride wears red, which can take one of two forms, a red sari or a shalwar kameez (trousers and tunic) and a red headscarf as well as gold jewellery. There are no such dress restrictions on the groom, who has the option of western or traditional Indian dress. On the morning of the marriage day the bride and groom will take a bath to wash out the oil and herbs which were brushed into their hair. Eventually the families of the bride and groom will meet at the ashram, where the Pujari will say a prayer to bless both families. This will then lead to the introduction of the family members, beginning with the introduction of the fathers and the exchange of garland. The wedding ceremony finally draws to a conclusion when the couple visit bride’s home before they leave for the groom’s family. [edit] References[edit] External links
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