Mystery of Pann And Kashmiri Roth

The valley of Kashmir is surrounded by the beautiful elements of nature, the essence of pure homemade products, and the sophistication of diverse religious beliefs. 

Hey everyone out there, Today I'm here with a new blog. This blog is devoted to the Kashmiri Ritual. This might be a source of information for those who are intellectually curious to know more about Kashmir and its cultures.

 If we were to talk about the Kashmiri Pandit traditions, the festivals and rituals of Kashmiri Pandits have Rigvedic roots. Some festivals and rituals are unique and only performed in Kashmiri Pandit Families. Today we'll be knowing about one of them that is called 'Pann'.

What is Pann?

The literal meaning of Pann is Thread. In Kashmir, it is an age-old tradition that is performed by most of the Kashmiri Pandit families. This tradition is performed to worship the Goddess and ask for a godsend. This ritual is performed on Vinayak Chaturthi that called as Vinayak Tsorum in the Kashmiri language.

Which Goddess is Worshiped and what is her significance?

Although, Kashmir is a valley of various temples of God and Goddess and each one of these has its own prestige. However, in the ritual, Pann, a goddess that is believed to have the power to fulfil all the needs and to complete every discarded work of her devotee, is worshipped. People call this Goddess as Beeb Garbh Maej. 

'Beeb' is said to mother in the Kashmiri language and 'Garbh' refers to a mystical form of the Goddess. 

As we know that, the cotton cultivation is not favoured by the climate of Kashmir. But, it is believed by our elderly people, that by the blessings of Beeb Garbh Maej, cotton could actually grow. As we all know, in India, the farmers offer the first crop, after harvest, to the God and Goddess. That's same with the people here in Kashmir. They prayed to the Goddess Beeb Garbh Maej, by using the cotton thread or Pann during the pooja, and try to make the Goddess happy by there admiration.

In this whole ritual, Beeb Garbh Maej is symbolized as a Gardhwa or Water pot, which has a long and thick thread of cotton around its neck. The whole pooja is done in front of that water pot. 

Procedure To Perform This Pooja 

At early in the morning, specifically, before sunrise, the ladies of the house start the ritual by spinning the two thick threads of cotton that are touched by a young little girl in the house as a sign of good omen. Among which one is tied around the neck of the Gardhwa (that symbolises the Beeb Garbh Maej) along with a decorated auspicious marks made with vermilion, flowers and Narivan (protection cord) and filled with some water and milk is kept in the place sanctified for the ritual. The other one is tied by the elder lady (mother or grandmother) around her Atth ( long golden chained ornament that Kashmiri ladies wear in their ear).

After that, all the ladies start to make traditional Roth or sweet flatbread. 

This Roth is offered to Beeb Garbh Maej along with half a dozen of Chappaties. A special Roth is made for the young girl of the family as a prasad, which is called Kankyavor in the Kashmiri language. 

After the completion of the making of Roth, all the family members sit together.

  Everyone is given a hanful of Dramun and Wushk (Runner grass and Paddy). All the members then carefully hear the Katha narrated by the elderly lady of the house. The story is devoted to the Beeb Garbh Maej and her prestige. This Katha develops a strong faith towards the Beeb Garbh Maej and all the members, then prays for the well-being and direction to the path of truth, sincerity and peace for everyone.

The Ritual is ended by a pious Arthi, offering flowers and fruit to the Goddess followed by pouring the handful of dramun and wushk in the Gardhwa, and at the end eating and distributing the sweet and yummy Roth is commenced.

So, that's all from my side! Hope that you all liked it. Also, please share your thoughts, experiences and stories with me by commenting below and please share this blog with more and more people who want to explore more about Kashmir other than it's beautiful landscapes.

Thanks a lot for all your love and encouraging words for me and my blogs.

 Warm greetings of Pann to all Kashmiri readers and Vinayak Chaturthi to all other readers. May this day be blissful and you gather lots of blessings in your fate.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Happy !!

                                                    ~Ridhima Kaul