The column appeared in Business Standard on 27 April 2013.
The Supreme Court, in a recent verdict on bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa, said the hills could be mined only if Vedanta Aluminium's exploration activities did not violate the local tribes' right to worship Niyam Raja. The Kondh community, indigenous to the region, believes that Niyam Raja is a permanent resident of the Niyamgiri Hills and he is their creator and protector god.
In mythologies across boundaries, the riches of the earth were seen as powerful forces. Humans were not strong enough to be entrusted with their care; these forces needed supernatural guardians. Thus, the mountains, the ocean and the rivers acquired the status of gods. For instance, the Lepchas, a hill tribe indigenous to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, believe thatKangchenjunga is a great lord created for their protection. Around him are other great lords, each with specific duties to fulfil. One such lord is Pun Yang Chyu who, it is believed, "holds within it a rich treasure of seeds which no mortal can ever find. When our world is destroyed by too many evil deeds, thoughts and actions, Pun Yang Chyu will release seeds to regenerate the world". (Lepcha, My Vanishing Tribe by A R Foning, Sterling Publishers)
Many protector deities were creators of the cosmos or, at least, principal actors in the creation process. The cosmic snake in Indian and African mythology is a case in point. In India, three aspects of the snake are worshipped - "as a dreaded enemy, as the protector of home and treasure and as the accompaniment and attribute of wisdom." (The Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India by W Crooke, Government Press, North Western Provinces and Oudh in Allahabad). The serpent as a minder of treasures is a common motif and provides an interesting angle to the recent discoveries of gold and precious gems in the underground vaults of the Padmanabha temple in Trivandrum. The temple has an 18-foot long idol of Vishnu, reclining on the coiled serpent Ananta Naga with a lotus rising from his navel on which sits Brahma, the creator god. According to some versions of its origins, the temple was built on the site of serpent worship.
In many cultures, these divinities began their life as demonic beings. The rationale, perhaps, was that the guardians had to be even more fearful and awe-inspiring than the forces they controlled. They held the power to create and destroy. In Himachal Pradesh, for example, Hidim and Hidimba were rakshasas and are still worshipped as protectors of the forest. In Egypt, Geb was the god of the earth, and earthquakes were thought to be his laughter. And as a god of mines and caves, he is believed to have gifted the people with minerals and precious stones found in the earth. Bonbibi of the Sunderbans in West Bengal has the forests under her charge. She is worshipped by Muslims and Hindus and protects her followers from the wrath of Dokkhin Rai - the tiger in human form. Daughter of a Muslim trader, local lore says Bonbibi saved an orphan boy, Dukhu, from the jaws of Dokkhin Rai and even today one cannot go into the forest to collect honey or timber or set out to fish in distant waters without her blessings.
The worshippers believed that these gods were responsible for fire, flood, earthquakes and drought. They controlled the forests and seas and a few chosen ones among them maintained order in the universe. One such is Niyam Raja. He sets down the rules of life for the Kondhs by ensuring that the water they drink, the spaces they inhabit and the food they eat is pure and nurturing. In return, he expects to be worshipped and cared for.
As the gods guard nature's treasures from plunder, so do they keep the people of a city or a nation safe. Athena is the patron goddess of Athens. Mumbai takes its name from Mumbadevi (although there are many who dispute the etymological connection between the city and the goddess).
Myths helped people understand why nature behaved the way it did or how human character was shaped. The worship of Niyam Raja therefore is more than a ritual followed by a small tribe. It exemplifies the abiding belief in the power of protector gods and provides an insight into how ancient cultures engaged with nature. Bereft of security for hire, ancient civilisations depended on gods for safety; it's a sign of changing times when industrialists today get the CRPF to protect them and their wealth.
