YAVATMAL

Yavatmal reflects Maharashtra’s vibrant cultural spirit through a range of fairs and festivals celebrated across the district. These occasions often bring together religious devotion, seasonal cycles, and community participation, shaping the district’s cultural identity. Prominent festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Holi, Gudi Padwa, Ashadi Ekadashi, Akshay Tritiya, Navratri, Dussehra, Mahashivratri, Shivaji Jayanti, Makar Sankranti, Nag Panchami, and Vat Purnima are widely observed. However, the district is especially known for Bail Pola and the Kartik Yatra, among others, which highlight its local traditions and historical connections. Together, these celebrations offer insight into the district’s social fabric and collective rhythms of life.

Bail Pola, observed on Shravan Amavasya (around August), is a key festival for the Kunbis and other farming communities, dedicated to honoring the bullock—the farmer’s most vital companion. On the eve of Pola, clay images of bullocks are made and worshipped. On the day of the festival, bullocks are bathed, decorated, and fed cooked food. They are paraded through the village, taken to the Maruti Mandir, and ceremonially passed under a toran—a rope of green leaves.

The following day, known as Barga, the toran and sticks used by children during the prior month are taken to the village boundary and left there as an offering to Shiv, the boundary deity. Children return carrying wild tulsi and neem branches, locally referred to as the "hair of Marbod"—a plant deity associated with purification. These branches are used to sweep house roofs.

In the evening, a symbolic expulsion ritual is performed: a man carries a pot containing rice husks, chillies, insects, and other unwanted elements collected from households. This pot is broken outside the village limits, and the man returns silently. This act is believed to cast out disease, pests, and negativity, ensuring the health of the village in the coming season.

The Ghanti Baba Jatra is an important annual event held in Digras town, Darwha taluka, in honor of Sant Shri Ghanti Baba. The jatra takes place from Ashvina Sud 11 to Ashvina Vad 5 (September–October) and commemorates the death anniversary of the sant.

Shri Ghanti Baba was originally a jeweler from Punjab who renounced worldly life to become a devoted bhakt of Bhagwan Hanuman. After spending 12 years in spiritual retreat in Yavatmal district, he settled in Digras around 1933 and lived there for another 12 years. The town of Digras, situated on the banks of the Dhavanda River, lies approximately 63 km from Yavatmal and 25 km from Darwha, and is well-connected by bus to other parts of Vidarbha.

The Mandir dedicated to Shri Ghanti Baba, built near the river at the site of his self-immolation, serves as the centre of the jatra. Constructed after 1945 through community contributions, it houses a marble murti of the sant in a meditative posture and is accompanied by a nearby Hanuman Mandir where he offered daily prayers.

Originally a one-day event, the jatra has now grown into a 10-day celebration. It begins with the installation of a ceremonial water pot at the Mandir on Ashvina Sud 11, followed by daily bhajans and kirtans. On the ninth day, a procession carrying a photograph of Shri Ghanti Baba is held through the town, and the event concludes with a bhandara (community meal) on the final day.

The Kartik Yatra is an annual pilgrimage held at the Sant Fakirji Maharaj Mandir in Dhanaj-Manikwada village, Yavatmal district. Located on the banks of the Vayan River, the Mandir is a mausoleum that draws both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Dedicated to Sant Fakirji Maharaj, an esteemed but historically obscure spiritual figure, the site is known for its message of communal harmony and devotional practices.

The Mandir follows daily rituals such as abhishek, bhajans, and aarti, with a weekly tradition of distributing Shira Prasad every Thursday. During the Kartik Yatra (October–November), the highlight is a large-scale Kanya-bhakar community meal prepared on 100 stoves, symbolizing unity and service.

The Shri Rangnath Swami Jatra, one of the most prominent fairs in Yavatmal district, is held annually in Wani from Phalguna Vad 1 to Chaitra Sud 15 (February–April). Dedicated to Shri Rangnath Swami, considered a form of Bhagwan Vishnu, the jatra holds both religious and economic importance, especially as a historic cattle trading event in the entire Vidarbha region.

Originally celebrated at Bhandak in the erstwhile Chanda district (now Chandrapur district), the jatra was shifted to Wani taluka in Yavatmal district in 1853–54. Located on the banks of the Nirguda River, Wani is well-connected by road and rail, drawing visitors from across Vidarbha, particularly from Yavatmal, Warora, and Nagpur.

The Shri Rangnath Swami Mandir, built around 1840 by a local Komti community member named Padmawar, is constructed in the Hemadpanthi style. The murti of Bhagwan Vishnu, shown reclining on Sheshnag, is five ft. long and made of black stone. A tin-roofed sabhamandap (assembly hall) near the Mandir hosts bhajan and kirtan gatherings during the jatra.

Although the fair spans a month, there are no major daily events. Most bhakts visit during the day, participate in darshan and worship, and return by evening. Others may stay in local dharamshalas or with family. The jatra remains a significant cultural and devotional event for the people of Wani and surrounding areas.

Throughout the year, especially between Chaitra and Paush (March to January), women across Yavatmal district observe several vratas (vowed religious fasts), each marked by ritual worship, fasting, and offerings, often tied to prosperity, fertility, or family well-being.

In Chaitra, suvasinis (married women) begin with a haladi-kumkum (turmeric-vermilion) ceremony. In Jyeshtha, Vat Pournima is observed with prayers beneath a banyan tree and offerings to suvasinis and Brahmins. Caturmasa (four month holy period between June/July and October/November) sees women observe Sola Somwar Vrata (sixteen Mondays), ending with feasts to sixteen married couples. In Shravana, Mondays are dedicated to Shivamuth, a corn offering to Shiv, and Tuesdays to Mangala Gauri, especially for the first five years of marriage. Sampad Sukravars (Fridays) are celebrated with Lakshmi puja using a hand-drawn figure on a clay pot.

In Bhadrapada (August-September), Haritalika and Rishi Panchami are observed through fasting; Haritalika for Parvati, and Rishi Panchami by older women as penance. Vasubaras, in Ashwin (September-October), is observed by mothers with cow and calf worship. Bhogi, in Paush (December-January), includes the preparation of khichadi, and Sankranti the next day involves gifting auspicious items and the Kinkranti celebration by newlyweds.

A unique local tradition in Vaishakh (April-May) is the Marai Devi Puja, where women build a miniature neem-leaf Mandir with whitewashed pebbles to ward off fire. Children participate by tying bells on their waists and going door-to-door dancing with neem branches, invoking the Devi’s protection.