250-yr-old belief ties people to legend of Megh Raja
What makes this festival special is that an idol of 'Megh Raja' — or Lord Indra, the God of rain — is made afresh every year, and elaborately worshipped in a display of faith, devotion and dependence on blessings from the heavens.
The legend of Megh Raja goes back 250 years, when Bharuch experienced a serious drought that threatened to suck the life out of land, rivers and livelihoods. "Our ancestors struggled for every drop of water," says Bhadresh Jadav, president of Bhoi Samaj, narrating how the belief was born.
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The people were in despair. Their prayers were going unanswered, and the situation kept worsening as if the heavens were angry. When all seemed lost, a seer guided our ancestors to make an idol of Megh Raja and pray to it to appease Indradev. People believed it was nothing short of a miracle when, after the 25 days of ritual, rain clouds happened to start building, and the heavens showered their blessings," says Jadav.
The Bhois, happy and grateful, and believing it to be Megh Raja's blessing, honoured him with his own temple in the city, visited by devotees all year round, and made the ritual an yearly tradition.
Megh Raja's idol is sculpted using clay only from the Narmada on the last day of Ashadh month, and immersed in the Narmada on the 25th day of Shravan, after a 7km procession thronged by thousands from across the state, some of whom arriving to fulfil their maanata (wish), others, bringing their children and newborns to seek's Megh Raja's blessing for their good health.
This year, the idol was installed on July 23 and will be immersed on Aug 18.
During the festival, two aartis are performed each day, with devotees making offerings in gold, silver, and other theme-based 'shringar' to Megh Raja. Like every time, this year too, a colourful festival will be held during the four days preceding the idol's immersion, the biggest draw being the Chhadi Utsav wherein Bhoi, Kharwa, and Valmiki communities come with a 30 foot auspicious sticks to celebrate the deity.
"Because water is the lifeline for farmers, fishermen and other communities, we have continued this tradition. People of Bharuch city have not faced a similar crisis since," says Jadav, adding, "The festival also teaches the importance of conserving precious resources to younger generations."
Mention in Class 5 textbook
This tradition of respecting water and worshipping the Megh Raja finds a mention in Class 5 textbook of the Gujarat board in a chapter named 'Pani Sathe Na Prayog' (Experiments with Water). The chapter has a paragraph on the Indian knowledge traditions under which Bharuch's Megh Raja festival's 250-year-old history has been covered.
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