Betul: You must have heard about Ravan worship, but what about his mighty and beloved son Meghnad, also known as Indrajit, renowned for his mastery of magical warfare and his birth cry that sounded like thunder?
In Madhya Pradesh’s Betul, the demon king’s son and daughter-in-law are worshipped, too. It may sound strange, but ritualistic worship of Meghnad and his wife beginning from the next day of Holi and continuing for another 10-15 days is a gala occasion cherished every bit by locals.
The villagers believe that invoking Meghnad Baba and Sulochana Ma rids them from all worldly troubles. They even bang their heads as a means of seeking a solution to the couple.
Tradition going on for years
Ramdas, a devotee of Meghnad and Sulochana, said, “Our ancestors have been worshipping Meghnad Baba from ancient times. During the worship of Meghnad Baba, the devotees cut a pumpkin in pieces and throw it down. This pumpkin cures diseases.”
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‘Problems are removed by banging heads’
Munni Lal, who attended the fair which coincides with Meghnad worship, said, ”Lord Laxman had killed Ravana’s son Meghnad Baba with an arrow. During this time, Meghnad’s wife Sulochana had become sati. That is why we worship Meghnad Baba and Sulochana Ma in wooden form. We get our wishes fulfilled by worshipping them. If we face any problem, we go in front of Meghnad Baba and bang our heads, then the problem goes away.”
‘Disease cured by pumpkin prasad’
Devotees believe that many diseases are cured by pumpkin which is taken as oblation. Anant Mahato, another devotee, said, ”A large number of farmers of the area also come to worship Meghnad. Pumpkin is sacrificed to Meghnad Baba. After this, small pieces of this pumpkin are cut and thrown. People take the pieces of this pumpkin home.”
According to him, the pumpkin also cures the diseases of animals. “Whenever animals get any kind of disease, pieces of this pumpkin are put in water and given to them to drink and it cures their disease. Farmers also come to Meghnad Baba with the wish of a good crop. When the crop is good, they come to Meghnad Baba again and offer prasad,” he added.
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