Pola Festival Maharashtra

Pola is a festival of the state of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh which celebrated by the farmers by the worship of the bull. The farmers decorate their bulls and on this day and then worship them to perform in the festival. It is generally a traditional village festival where they show respect to the bulls that help them in their ploughing activities. On this special day the farmers first of all give a good bathe to their bulls and then decorate them with beautiful ornaments. Then the bulls are offered prayers by the farmers and are also given special food to eat. It is way in which the farmers show their gratitude towards the bulls for their assistance in the agricultural works. From the following day of the festival the ploughing activities are started and seeds are sown in the fields. It is a very unique festival of Maharashtra where an animal is made the focus of the occasion.

Duration of the festival

During the Sravana month the Pola festival is celebrated on a new moon day which is also called the Pithori Amavasya day. It is an occasion of one day which is dedicated to the bulls of the village.

Highlights/ Important Rituals of the Festival

• In this festival, a parade of decorated bulls is being conducted in the evenings followed by many dance and music.
• In some of the villages of Maharashtra, fairs are organized on this day where several competitions are conducted.
• The farmers celebrate this day with many traditional dishes like kunbis, poli and karanji which are authentic Maharashtra’s dishes.
• During this time the village attracts of lot of tourists from various states to witness how the villagers admire their cattle and celebrate one day in their dedication.