Chakulia Panda in Odisha: Story, song, origin and mythological significance, watch
Chakulia Pandas typically visit villages once or twice a year during auspicious occasions like Purnima, Sankranti, and Amavasya, going door-to-door singing devotional songs and begging for alms.
The traditional profession of Chakulia Pandas in Odisha, who would travel from village to village to receive alms, is gradually disappearing. Earlier, this was a common practice, but nowadays, it is seen only occasionally.
Chakulia Pandas typically visit villages once or twice a year during auspicious occasions like Purnima, Sankranti, and Amavasya, going door-to-door singing devotional songs and begging for alms.
According to folklore, Chakulia Pandas do not approach individual homes to beg; instead, they traverse village streets, loudly reciting verses from sacred texts like Tika Govinda, De Pada, Deva, and Daiba, and accept whatever alms are offered to them. To collect alms, they would circumnavigate the village streets three times, without stopping at any particular door, and gratefully accept whatever is given.
As they wander through the village streets, they chant phrases like “Padia Bhumire Godhana Charaiba” and “Deithile Pai, Bunithile Dai,” humbly accepting whatever is offered.
Legend has it that Chakulia Pandas are descendants of Parshuram and that they beg for alms due to a curse from Lord Rama.
Another legend suggests that when Bhima lived in disguice in the Virat kingdom during Mahabharat, he assumed the name Ballav Panda as King Virat’s cook. He would go around the country begging for alms. It is believed that the Brahmins who joined him during this period are the ancestors of the modern-day Chakulia Pandas.
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