Context:
Recently, the Jharkhand High Court directed the state government to enforce a pre-existing ban on the consumption and sale of meat, alcohol, and other intoxicants on a hill considered to be sacred by both the Santal Adivasi and Jain communities.
More on the news:
- The Court ordered the State government to increase the deployment of home guards on the hill to enforce the orders of the Union Environment Ministry, which had notified it as a special eco-sensitive zone in 2019 besides prohibiting certain activities in and around the area.
- The memorandum had also put a stay on the State government’s plans to turn the area into a location for religious eco-tourism, which had faced backlash from the Jain community across the country.
Parasnath Hill:
- The hill is famously known as Marang Buru by Santals and Parasnath by Jains.
- Jains and Adivasis have coexisted on the hill for centuries, as Adivasis helped tirthankaras reach the summit to attain nirvana.
Disputed Claims
- Jains claim an ancient king donated Parasnath Hill to them.
- However, the 1957 Hazaribagh District Gazetteer noted that the oldest Jain temple dates only to 1765
Official Records of Conflict
- The conflict was first officially recorded in 1911, during the British colonial period.
- The Gazetteer stated:
- “Parasnath is the Marang Buru or hill deity of the Santals. Each year they assemble during the full moon of Baisakh for a three-day religious hunt followed by a tribal session.”
- This refers to the Sendra festival, a recurring flashpoint in the dispute.
Importance to the Jain Community
- Jains believe that 20 of the 24 tirthankaras (divine teachers) attained nirvana (liberation) on this hill.
- The name “Parasnath” is derived from Parshvanatha, the 23rd tirthankara.
- Today, the hill is home to more than 40 Jain temples and dhams.
Importance to the Santhal Community
- Marang Buru (the Great Mountain) is the supreme animist deity in the Santal tradition.
- Key sacred sites for the Santals on the hill:
- Jug Jaher Than (sacred grove) – It is a revered religious site (Dhorom Garh).
- Dishom Manjhi Than – It is a symbolic seat of the traditional Santal leader where rituals are performed.
- Boda Darha in Sohraiya village – It is located in the eastern part of the mountain where the Lo Bir Baisi (a tribal council) convenes to resolves disputes which cannot be handled at the village level.
- The historic Santal Hul rebellion of 1855 was launched following a resolution passed by this council.
Sendra Festival
- During Sendra, all male Santals participate in a symbolic hunt.
- Community described festival as “a rebirth for Santal men… Either die or hunt to survive.”
- For Jains, the festival is problematic due to their strict vegetarian beliefs.
- Early attempts by Jains to ban hunting failed:
- A lawsuit by the Swetamber Jain community was dismissed by the district court.
- The Patna High Court in 1917 called the Jain grievance “hyper sentimental.”
- The Privy Council, then British India’s highest court of appeal, upheld Santals’ customary hunting rights.
Developments After Independence
- Fifth Schedule status, which grants special protections to tribal areas, was withdrawn from nearby villages.
- Rituals at Jug Jaher Than were halted from the 1970s until Jharkhand’s statehood in 2000.
- In 2023, a memorandum by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ordered:
- No alcohol or meat be served within a 25 km radius of the hill.
- Eggs and meat also banned in Anganwadi centres and primary schools.