Revellers dance to the traditional music of Sarhul on Tuesday; (below) a bird’s eyeview of the main procession at Albert Ekka Chowk. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, April 8: Sarhul fever gripped the state capital on Tuesday, as most of the shops remained shut in the capital to soak in the festive spirit.

To have a glimpse of the traditional festival, thousands of residents thronged the roads as believers danced through the streets to music from traditional instruments such as mandars and nagaras towards Siramtoli Sarnasthal, the place of final worship.

This year, the monsoon will come from the north,” predicted Gopi Pahan, the traditional tribal high priest of Siramtoli, who offered the final prayer for all the devotees.

Devotees from Hatma, Chandwe, Vitha, Chundi, Kanke, Edalhatu, Kathalgonda, Karamtoli, Hinoo, Hundru, Itki, Dibdih, Argora and several other places gathered at Siramtoli.

Even non-tribal religious and social organisations joined their tribal brethren to celebrate the festival of nature today.

Non-tribal organisations such as Mahavir Mandal and Aggarwal Sabha had put up roadside stalls to supply drinking water for the devotees. The Main Road wore a festive look and traditional songs blared from several loudspeakers.

Sarhul also proved to be a meeting ground of political rivals.

Forgetting the ongoing tension between the Congress and the ruling coalition, Union minister for food processing Subodh Kant Sahay and state human resource development minister Bandhu Tirkey joined a traditional tribal dance on the occasion of Sarhul at the tribal and regional language department of Ranchi University. The two ministers also did not forget to advocate preservation of nature and environment.

Both Sahay and Tirkey, who had been invited for the festival, shared the dais. Not only this, the duo also danced to the beats of the traditional mandar.

“Sarhul may be a traditional tribal festival. But the message it carries is significant even in this post-modern era,” said A.A. Khan, the vice-chancellor (VC) of Ranchi University, addressing the gathering of teachers, students and intellectuals at the tribal and regional language department today. Former VC of Ranchi University Ram Dayal Munda, former professor of the varsity B.P. Keshri and several other intellectuals took part in the celebrations.

Munda performed the rituals of Sarhul by worshipping the nature.

Having been decorated with new “sakhua” flowers, the place of worship at the tribal and regional language department reminded the devotees of the importance of trees and nature in the life of human beings.

Early this morning, several Sarna groups around the city worshiped god Dharmesh, thanking him for the new life signified by flowers that have come up on trees this season.

The pahans (traditional tribal priest) of respective villages offered the sacrifice of red cock and prayed to the gods for protection and good monsoon.