Daita

Tribal (adivasi) community in the modern state of Orissa. The Daitas are
hereditary temple servants at the temple of the god Jagannath in the city of
Puri. Jagannath has been brought into
the larger Hindu pantheon by identifying him as a form of the god Krishna,
but he is originally believed to have
been a local, tribal deity. This history is
partly inferred from Jagannath’s relationships with the Daitas themselves,
who are considered Jagannath’s relatives, even though their social status is
very low. This relational connection
gives the Daitas several unique roles.
During the annual Rath Yatra, a ceremonial procession in which Jagannath,
his brother Balabhadra, and their sister
Subhadra are processed around the city
in giant wooden chariots, the Daitas
convey the deities’ giant wooden
images from the temples to the chariots
and pull the ropes that draw the carts.
An even more important role comes
when new images of the deities are constructed, usually every twelve or nineteen years. The Daitas carve the new
images, each from a single massive log.
When the new image has been completed,
the oldest Daita removes a wooden plug
164
Dadupanth
in the old image that seals an interior
cavity. He then transfers a mysterious
substance called the “life substance” to
a corresponding cavity in the new
image, which is sealed with another
wooden plug. The Daita chosen to make
this transfer is blindfolded and has his
hands wrapped in layers of cloth, so he
is unable to tell exactly what is transferred, and this “life substance” is considered so sacred that the person who
makes this transfer reportedly dies soon
afterward. After the “life substance” has
been removed, the old image is considered a “corpse.” The Daitas bury it,
observe a ten-day period of ritual death
impurity (maranashaucha), and the
heirs of the deceased claim his “belongings”—primarily clothes and resin,
which they sell to pilgrims. Jagannath’s
continuing relations with the Daitas
point to his origins as a local, tribal god,
and this relationship gives the Daitas
continuing special privileges.