PANAJI, GOA, INDIA, January 20, 2011: Paush, the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, has special significance for Hindu women in Goa. Over five nights – with the full moon of Malani Purnima being the grandest – they express their love and respect for the forest deity popularly called Vandevi. The celebration is called Dhalo.
Once, there were many places in Goa where the Goddess of the forest was respected by those living in and around the woods. Mulgao in Bicholim taluka, has two temples dedicated to Vandevi-Dhakti Vandevi (young Goddess) and Vhodli Vandevi (elder Goddess).
Forests were once also the homes of humans who lived, hunted and collected fruits, roots, shoots, tubers, nuts, etc. ‘In order to express gratitude to the forest for supporting their lives in many ways, our ancestors began the festival of Dhalo,’ says Laxmi Chandrakant Harvalkar, a folklorist from Brahma-Karmala in Sattari taluka.
During the festival of Dhalo, women decorate and worship the tulsi vrindavan (basil plant in a pedestal) as the symbolic representation of the forest Goddess. ‘The women, in the past, would invoke the forest Goddess for blessings of health and prosperity on their families. Till date, this tradition continues with the women singing folksongs and urging the Goddess, Vandevimaya, to participate in the traditional folk dance,’ says Harvalkar.