Marriage of two trees by tribals in this Odisha village symbolises harmony with nature

The marriage of two trees by tribal community in Nua Puki village near Kolab water reservoir exhibits harmony with nature.

Koraput (Odisha): A traditional band was played, the priest recited the mantra and the marriage was held with people enjoying the feast. It was not a marriage of two human beings but of two trees in Nua Puki village near Kolab water reservoir in the Koraput district of Odisha as part of an age-old tradition of the tribal community.

The banyan tree was the bride and the Peepal tree became the bridegroom at the traditional ritual in this tribal Odisha village. The marriage was organized by the villagers following all the rituals and customs of human marriage. Bhagwan Rath, the priest who performed the marriage, informed that the custom of marriage between the Banyan tree and Peepal trees, which are considered sacred trees, is described in the scriptures of Manu Parashar.

According to Jayaram Suna, a teacher at Nua Puki Village School, people in the community have the belief that according to the scriptures, such a marriage fulfils the wishes of nature-loving tribals who respect nature as the basis of their lives. Therefore, in view of this belief, in the year 2013, in the village which had no temple and was located near the Kolab Reservoir, the villagers planted one banyan tree and a Peepal tree in front of the school in the village.

Since then, the villagers have provided these two trees with all services just like the two loving children of the village. Suna said that Madan Khila, a senior citizen of the village, devoted himself to these two trees as if he had served the two sons of his family. According to the scriptures, the two trees needed to be married before they bear fruit.

Hence it was decided to hold the wedding ceremony of these two trees this year. While the entire cost of the marriage was borne by the villagers, a large number of people from nearby villages too attended this unique wedding ceremony. The villagers of Nua Puki added more to the celebration by inviting their relatives.

The wedding ceremony has established itself as a symbol of the unique relationship between nature and man as everyone joined together to dance the traditional tribal dance Dhemsa, eat together and participate in the tribal traditional theatre performance at night. According to Barsha Suna, a woman had traveled from Kolab Nagar to attend the unique wedding.