5 lakh devotees expected for Shirgao Zatrotsav

MAYEM, APRIL 26
The famous Zatrotsav of Goddess Lairai at Shirgao-Bicholim will be celebrated on April 29 with various traditional religious rituals and cultural programme.
About five lakh devotees, including over one lakh Dhonds are expected to attend the festival.
The five-day fasting, which is considered as the special aspect as far as pious state of Dhonds is concerned, started from April 25 in the wake of Zatrotsav.
It may be noted that fasting of the old local Dhonds, who are the natives of Shirgao is three days, while new incumbents are supposed to undergo fasting up to five days till the day of the festival.
However, the new and old incumbents outside the State have been fasting for a month.
The Zatrotsav has a landmark in the history of the State not only due to mass participation of devotees, but due to social and cultural aspects.
The prime attraction of the festival is walking of the Dhonds (special devotees of Lairai on fast) through live burning coals emerged out of a Homkund (a heap-like firewood structure believed to be a weapon indicating purity of Dhonds).
On the day of festival, after performing religious rituals including Garanhe, the Dhonds have bath in the holy lake Devichi Tali. On the way, the priest holding Kalash of goddess Lairai lights a burning fire stick in the firewood arranged in a typical order of pyramid. It then lights the firewood which then converts into giant flames, popularly known as Homkund.
After taking the bath, the Dhonds come back near the Homkund and perform a dance encircling the Homkund, which goes on till dawn and gets over once the huge firewood is converted into live burning coals. The dancing Dhonds then walks through the live burning coals with barefoot chanting Har Har Mahadev.
The Zatrotsav continues for five consecutive days in the form of Kaulotsav, where the Kalash procession of goddess Lairai, popularly known as Kaulotsav, will be carried out throughout the village.
Bicholim police has made elaborate traffic arrangements for the festival.