Bhikangaon (Madhya Pradesh): Within the Nimar area, a charming custom unfolded on Akshaya Tritiya as residents partook in particular pujas. These ceremonies, steeped in native lore, aimed to divine the forthcoming monsoon rainfall for the months of Ashadh, Sawan, Bhadau and Ashwin (June to September).
This distinctive observance not solely embodies the area’s cultural richness but additionally displays a deep-rooted connection to the rhythms of nature.
This historic apply entails inserting 4 mounds of soil, every representing a month, with a uncooked earthen pot crammed with water on prime of every. All through the day, the water drips onto the mounds, with the wetness of the mounds indicating the anticipated rainfall for every month.
In keeping with the predictions this yr, the mounds symbolising Ashadh and Sawan have been the wettest, suggesting heavy rainfall in August and barely much less in different months.
The strategy, defined by Pandit Balkrishna Shukla and Pandit Ganesh Dubey, boasts an 80 per cent accuracy price with the dripping of water from the pot seen as a pure course of—besides when all 4 mounds get moist, indicating below-average rainfall.
Coincidentally, the Meteorological Division’s forecast aligns with this historic perception, predicting higher-than-normal rainfall in Western Madhya Pradesh, estimated at 95 per cent. Pranab Shah, a scientist from the division, emphasised that the trendy and conventional strategies of rain prediction are surprisingly in sync.
Natwar Namdev, a neighborhood farmer, shared the standard means of inserting the earthen mounds, positioning them in accordance with the monsoon months. The east mound represents Ashadh, west for Shravan, north for Bhadrapada, and south for Ashwin. If the mounds seem wetter after the puja, it’s believed that there might be extra rain in that exact month.
Moreover, on this auspicious event, farmers took the chance to worship their fields and sow crops, with many opting to plant summer season cotton. The area, identified for its plentiful water assets, witnesses 80 per cent of its cotton sown throughout the summer season season.