Behdienkhlam Festival 2026

1. Sacred Epigraphy: Chasing the Demon of Pestilence

Celebrated with thunderous communal passion in the mist-laden pine hills of Jowai, the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Behdienkhlam is the most important religious and cultural festival of the indigenous **Pnar (Jaintia)** community. Rooted in the indigenous **Niamtre** faith, this 4-day post-sowing monsoon festival (celebrated annually in mid-July) represents the collective invocation to the Almighty Creator (*U Tre Kirot*) to chase away the demon of plague (*Khlam*) and pestilence while ensuring divine protection and bountiful harvest.

Etymologically, Beh signifies to chase, Dien means sticks or wooden logs, and Khlam refers to plague, capturing the ancient ritual of beating roofs with sticks to drive away malevolent spirits.

2. Sacerdotal Architecture: Towering 40-Foot Rots in Aitnar

The visual climax unfolds at the sacred muddy pool of Aitnar:

3. Living Folklore: Datlawakor Ritual Mud Football

Following the pool rituals, the crowd gathers at Madan Pohkseh for Datlawakor:

• The Wooden Ball Contest: Two teams representing the northern and southern clans compete in a traditional barefoot football match played with a heavy spherical wooden ball (*Datlawakor*).
• Agricultural Prophecy: Victory is not merely athletic; if the northern team wins, the northern valleys will harvest bumper paddy, whereas a southern win promises prosperity for southern terraced fields.

4. Sacerdotal Cleansing: The Symbud Khnong Roof-Beating Ritual

Before the grand pool gathering, households perform sacred domestic purifications:

• Beating the Roofs: Young men from each clan carry stripped bamboo poles, marching from house to house beating thatched and tin roofs to symbolically banish the plague demon (*Khlam*).
• The Symbud Khnong Tree: A secondary consecrated tree log is erected in front of the house of the high priestess (*Langdoh*), where women pour libations of rice wine to ensure family health.

5. Ancestral Communion: The Ka Bam Pynsuk Sacraments

The festival involves profound communion with departed clan ancestors:

Elders gather in the sacred ancestral clan homes (Iung Blai) to offer cooked pork, dried fish, and fermented rice beverage (*Kiad*) to the departed matriarchs and patriarchs, expressing gratitude for past protection and seeking blessings for future harvests.

4. Authentic Pnar Gastronomy: Jadoh & Dohkhlieh

Behdienkhlam feasting features rich, wholesome Khasi-Jaintia mountain cuisine:

6. Sacerdotal Perimeter: The Ka Knia Khyrdong Boundary Rites

The festival begins by establishing a protective spiritual barrier around Jowai:

• Sacred Boundary Stones: High priests visit the four ancient monolithic stones placed at the four cardinal corners of Jowai town, performing sacrificial rites to seal the perimeter against negative spirits.
• Invoking Guardian Deities: Invocations are offered to the four mythical guardian stones (U Mooralong, U Musniang, U Mutong, and U Muroot) to safeguard the community from epidemics.

7. Textile Grandeur: Handwoven Ryndia Silk & Coral Regalia

The festival is a magnificent exhibition of indigenous handloom weaving:

Pnar women and elders dress in rich handwoven organic Eri silk drapes (Ryndia) dyed with natural plant extracts, paired with massive heirloom 24-karat gold-and-red-coral beaded necklaces (Kpieng Paila) passed down through matriarchal lineages.

Pnar Plague-Dispelling Rites: The Sacred Aitnar Mud Pool & Rot Towers

Celebrated annually during the monsoon month of July in the hill town of Jowai, West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, Behdienkhlam is the most important cultural and religious festival of the indigenous Pnar (Jaintia) people belonging to the ancient Niamtre faith. Translating literally from the Pnar language as 'chasing away the demon of plague and pestilence with sticks', the four-day festival is an ancient collective prayer invoking divine protection against cholera, crop disease, and social misfortune.

Throughout the festival, young men from different village localities (Dongs) spend weeks handcrafting monumental, multi-tiered artistic towers known as Rots (Raths). Reaching heights of thirty to forty feet, these colorful bamboo and paper towers are adorned with geometric patterns, political satires, and social messages. On the final afternoon, thousands of men carry these massive Rots upon their shoulders in a triumphant procession toward the sacred muddy pool known as Aitnar.

Amidst the booming of traditional drums and brass horns, the Rots are paraded into the waist-deep waters of Aitnar, where revellers dance with ecstatic abandon, splashing mud in a joyful communal celebration of equality. The festival reaches its climax with the ritual game of Dad-Maw—an ancient form of mud-football where teams compete to push a heavy wooden ball across the pool. The winning locality is believed to be blessed with an extraordinary agricultural harvest in the coming autumn.

5. Behdienkhlam Field Guide & Visitor Protocol

For cultural photographers, travelers, and documentary writers:

Key Travel Logistics & Community Etiquette

• Location & Access: Jowai is located 64 km east of Shillong (approx. 2 hours via NH 6) and 160 km from Guwahati Airport (GAU). Shared sumos and private taxis operate regularly between Shillong and Jowai.
• Aitnar Pool Viewing: Arrive at the natural amphitheater surrounding the Aitnar pool by 11:00 AM on the final day; expect muddy terrain and carry waterproof gear for camera equipment.
• Monsoon Preparedness: July brings heavy rainfall in the Jaintia Hills; pack heavy-duty raincoats, waterproof trekking shoes, and light warm woolens (18°C–22°C).

8. Sacerdotal Philosophy: The Supreme Creator U Tre Kirot

The theological foundation of Behdienkhlam is rooted in the Niamtre faith:

• Monotheistic Animism: Pnars worship the Supreme Creator (*U Tre Kirot*), venerating nature spirits and sacred rivers (*Myntdu* and *Lukha*) as manifestations of divine providence.
• Ethical Code of Kamai ia ka Hok: The festival reaffirms the three fundamental ethical pillars of the Pnar culture: *Kamai ia ka Hok* (earning righteousness through honest toil), *Tip Kur Tip Kha* (honoring maternal and paternal lineages), and *Tip Bru Tip Blai* (knowing humanity to know God).

9. Highland Commerce: The Iawmusiang 8-Day Revolving Market

Festive celebrations center around Jowai’s historic marketplace:

The ancient Iawmusiang Market buzzes with hill trade, where farmers sell organic black ginger, Lakadong high-curcumin turmeric, dried smoked fish, hand-carved bamboo baskets, and locally woven cane mats (*Tlieng*).

10. Sacerdotal Governance: The Daloi & Langdoh Traditional Chiefs

The ceremonial order is presided over by customary institutions:

• The Daloi of Jowai: The traditional provincial chieftain (*Daloi*) and the council of elders (*Waheh Chnong*) direct all civic and religious logistics, ensuring harmonious coordination among competing village clans.
• The Female High Priestess (Langdoh): The hereditary spiritual matriarch performs the critical domestic sacrifices inside the ancestral clan shrine (*Iung Langdoh*) to inaugurate the festivities.

11. Artisanal Weaving: Bamboo Rain Shields & Fishing Traps

Visitors explore rich tribal handicraft markets in Jowai:

Master weavers fashion conical rain shields (Knup) made of tightly woven bamboo and palm leaves that protect farmers during torrential monsoon rains, alongside ingenious woven bamboo fish traps (Ksaw) used in highland river streams.

12. Sacerdotal Purification: The Final Aitnar Pool Cleansing

Following the joyful immersion of the towering Rots:

• Herbal Water Cleansing: Temple elders sprinkle crushed wild medicinal herbs into the muddy waters of the Aitnar pool, offering prayers of peace (*Pynsuk*) to conclude the water ceremonies.
• Community Bathing: Hundreds of participants submerge their bodies in the sanctified pool, washing away illness, lethargy, and misfortune of the past agricultural season.

13. Sonic Grandeur: The Haunting Melodies of the Sharati Flute

The hills reverberate with ancient Jaintia wind instruments:

Master musicians play the long bamboo flute (Sharati) and dual-reed pipe (Tangmuri), producing poignant, high-pitched melodies that guide the rhythmic footwork of dancers carrying the multi-tiered Rots into the arena.

14. Matriarchal Sanctity: The Youngest Daughter (Khadduh) Stewardship

The festival honors the spiritual stewardship of the matrilineal lineage:

• The Khadduh Custodianship: The youngest daughter (Ka Khadduh) of each clan home serves as the prime custodian of ancestral wealth, family heirlooms, and religious offerings.
• Blessing the Clan: Clan members assemble at her hearth during Behdienkhlam to receive sanctified rice wine and pork stew, cementing family unity and communal solidarity.

6. Frequently Asked Questions