Symbolic ‘Parnadaha’ to bid farewell to missing landslide victims

Brahmapur: In a poignant expression of grief and an age-old tradition, the missing persons of landslide-hit Gidipabali village will be accorded symbolic last rites through a traditional ritual known as ‘Parnadaha’, even as their bodies remain untraced.

The ritual involves preparing symbolic funeral biers using wood from the ‘Palasa’ tree, covering them with straw and carrying each structure, representing a dead body, on a traditional ‘Kokei’ to the cremation ground. All funeral rites will be performed in accordance with tribal customs and traditions, marking a solemn farewell to those who disappeared in the tragedy. Earlier, two bodies recovered from the landslide site were cremated there.

Explaining the historical and cultural significance of the ritual, researcher in culture and history Ananta Ram Kar said the practice is known as ‘Parnadaha’ and has its roots in Odisha’s history dating back to 1880.

According to him, the tradition originated following the death of Dibya Singh Deb III, the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The British government reportedly refused to hand over his mortal remains to his family. Following this, priests in Puri suggested performing symbolic last rites through ‘Parnadaha’. Over time, the practice became an accepted traditional form of symbolic cremation when a body remains missing but the final funeral rites are considered necessary.

For the grieving families of Gidipabali, the ritual will be more than a customary farewell. It will be a deeply emotional moment of bidding goodbye to their loved ones whose bodies may never return, while offering their departed souls a traditional passage to the final journey.

Meanwhile, the multi-agency search and rescue operation at landslide-ravaged Gidipabali village in south Odisha was halted on Wednesday due to inclement weather, as families of 10 missing persons prepared to perform their final rituals. The decision to temporarily suspend the operation was taken after experts assessed that the remains, if any, could be buried under nearly 30 feet of debris, Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhushan said.

Following the devastating landslide triggered by cyclone Arnab, Vedbhushan and Ganjam District Collector V Keerthi Vasan met victims’ families at a shelter camp. Due to 30 feet of debris from three successive landslides, experts warned that further blasting could endanger rescue personnel. Consequently, with the families’ consent, the search and rescue operation was officially halted on Wednesday.

The families requested administrative help with final rituals to find closure, and officials assured them of support to restart their lives. Vedbhushan noted that while operations were temporarily halted on Wednesday due to poor weather, one final search attempt will be made as soon as conditions clear for a couple of days before officially closing the operation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sunil Mohan Patnaik

[email protected]