Kashmiri Pandit Ritual of Punn Diyun
Kashmiri Pandit culture is quite distinct, and this segment of Sanatan Dharma engages in various rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that set this small community apart from the rest of Hinduism. One such ritual, known in Kashmiri as Punn Deun, is observed and performed by Kashmiri Pandits. Despite their displacement from Kashmir, the KP community has managed to preserve their rites, rituals, ceremonies, and traditions. However, not all KP households participate in the Punn ritual; it is specifically those families whose ancestors traditionally performed it that continue the practice. This ritual, which takes place around Ganesh Chaturthi, evokes a sense of nostalgia for Kashmiri Pandits. During this time of year, as summer begins to wane and autumn starts to make its presence felt in the valley, Kashmiri Pandits celebrate the Punn ritual (meaning "thread" in Kashmiri). Coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi, referred to as Vinayak Chorum by the KP community, deep-fried wheat bread known as roth is prepared and shared among relatives, neighbors, and friends.
The KP community has managed to keep their rituals and festivals alive even in exile, celebrating the pun ritual far from their homeland of Kashmir. Punn can be observed on any of the four to five auspicious days during the second bright fortnight of Bhadun, and families who have lost a member in the past year perform this ritual on the last auspicious day. In the pre-militancy era, before 1990, if you walked through certain neighborhoods in Kashmir during this time, you would be greeted by a delightful aroma wafting from homes, reminiscent of the scent of vanilla that signals baking. This pun ritual is celebrated on the auspicious dates in the second bright fortnight of Bhadun, culminating on purnimashi. It is a traditional celebration among Kashmiri Pandit families in the month of Bhadron (August/September), where they prepare delicious Roths, which are wheat pancakes fried in Desi Ghee. Some people view it as a celebration of Bhagwan Mahavir Hanuman day, while in South India, this day is celebrated as Ganesh Puja. The Punn Duen and the sharing of Roth with friends, relatives, and neighbors serve as a means to foster and maintain social connections. The distribution of the Roth naveed among the people makes us aware about the well being of our kith and kin and thus it has great importance in connecting people.
This day is celebrated with devotion to show respect to Almighty God. The celebration also brings joy through family gatherings, especially for children. For this occasion, the entire house is cleaned, with particular attention given to the kitchen, and brass utensils are thoroughly washed. The religious significance of this festival may have various interpretations, but it holds the same importance as our other festivals; however, Pun Deun remains a top priority for women. The head lady of the family performs the puja with the participation of all family members. An unmarried girl spins a thread, which is then fastened to the ear of the head lady, who plays a major role in Pun Deun. A brass utensil, mainly a Gudwa, is filled with water, and green Dramun grass is held by all family members. After the Katha of Punn, the grass is immersed into the pot filled with water, and three or four Roths are placed at the head of the pot. In the evening, the water and grass from the pot are either immersed in a river or laid at the root of a plant. Ingredients such as wheat flour, brown sugar, ghee, salt, vegetable oil, yogurt (Zamut Dud), Khashikash seeds, cardamom, and others are prepared in advance. For the puja, flowers, green grass (Dramun), some fruits, fresh walnuts, silver foil, Nariwan, and sindoor are arranged, and all these items are used in the puja.
Kashmiri Pandits have a special place for Lord Ganesha being the son of Lord shiva and Parvati .He has been blessed by Shiva as the Siddhi Daata.According to Ganesh Purana ,the fourth day of bright fortnight of every lunar month is called siddhi Vinayak chaturthi. The fourth day of Badurapad Shukla bright half chaturthi is known as Maha Siddhi Vinayak Chaurthi ( as it is on this day that Parvati ,spouse of Lord Shiva ,created Ganesha for her protection) When this chaturthi falls on Tuesday or Saturday it is termed as Varad Chaturthi or Shiva Chaturthi and its importance increases. We observe this great arrival of Lord Ganesha for 10 days from Chaturthi to Chaturdashi by preparing’ Roth ‘(sweet thick Pancakes fried in ghee) and Laddoos from wheat flour .On this day ladies of the household get up early in the morning and a bath and get to the business of preparing Roths at a specially cleaned up space.First of all ,roths made from 1 -1/4 kg of wheat flour mixed with ¼ quantity sugar are rolled and fried in boiling ghee. These are kept apart as Lord Ganesha’s Prasad along with few Ladoo’s prepared out of above mentioned material. Then additional roths are prepared out of the above material .Then additional roths are prepared for all the family members ,daughter’s family, close relatives ,and neighbors .After roth preparation is completed ,a metallic pot (Gadda) is placed at a specially cleaned up place as a symbol of Lord Ganesh .A mixture of green grass, barley, and flowers is prepared in a thali.
A small amount of the mixture is placed in the pot. It is then tied with a mavli (Narvin) around its neck, and using sindur, the symbol OM is painted on the pot in Hindi. Some milk and a coin are also added to the pot. The women of the house place a small thread made from raw cotton (hence the name pun) beside their Athahore or dehahor, crafted by an unmarried girl. All family members gather around the pot. A sindur tilak is applied to their foreheads, and the senior lady of the household offers the mixture prepared in the thali to each family member, bestowing blessings for their well-being. Everyone takes a seat, and the senior lady recounts the story of Bib Dharam Maej. After the story is shared and listened to with devotion by all, prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha, and everyone places the mixture in the pot, symbolizing Lord Ganesha. Roths are then distributed to all family members along with a cup of Nunn Chai. Following this, roths are given to married daughters-in-law, other close relatives, neighbors, and friends. May Bib Dharam Mauj and Lord Ganesha remove all obstacles in the return and rehabilitation of KP’s to the valley, and may we continue to uphold all rituals and festivals.
(Writer:- Vivek Koul)
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