{"id":138601,"date":"2026-06-21T09:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T07:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/?p=138601"},"modified":"2026-06-21T10:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T08:02:22","slug":"the-santhal-and-sarna-dharma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magikindia.com\/en\/the-santhal-and-sarna-dharma\/","title":{"rendered":"The Santhal and the Sarna Dharma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Santhal people constitute one of India’s largest indigenous communities, primarily settled in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal<\/a>, Odisha<\/a>, and Bihar<\/a>. They draw their strength from Sarna Dharma<\/em>, a spiritual tradition that places nature and sacred groves at the heart of their world. This profound connection to the environment is reflected even on the walls of their homes, which are adorned with exquisitely detailed geometric and floral paintings. Yet, beneath this harmony lies the identity of a warrior people forged by centuries of resistance against British colonialism and an ongoing struggle to protect their ancestral lands.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Origins of the Santhal<\/strong> people<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dame Santhal showing her tattoo \u2013 Odisha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the Austroasiatic family, the Santhal speak Santali, a language related to the idioms of Southeast Asia (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam).<\/strong> This origin attests to a migration towards the Chota Nagpur plateau (Jharkhand) 3,000 to 4,000 years old. To protect this unique identity against the influence of Sanskrit, Pandit Raghunath Murmu designed Ol Chiki in 1925, an indigenous alphabet whose spelling marries the phonetic nuances specific to their culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Traditional outfits of Santhal women from Odisha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like all Adivasi, the Santhals have their own founding myth.<\/strong> The story of\u00a0Kherwar\u00a0tells that in early times, the world was nothing but ocean. Creator\u00a0Thakur Jiu\u00a0gave life to two seabirds which nested on a thin lump of earth. From their eggs were born\u00a0Pilchu Haram\u00a0and\u00a0Pilchu Budhi, the original couple. Their descendants traveled through the mythical lands of\u00a0Hihiri Pipiri\u00a0and\u00a0Chai Champa\u00a0before settling permanently in the hills of Jharkhand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Past and present struggles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The history of the Santals is marked by an uninterrupted struggle for sovereignty, initiated by the great revolt of\u00a0Hool (1855)\u00a0against British colonial<\/a> oppression and the exploitation of external lenders (Dikus). <\/strong>Led by the Murmu brothers, this massive uprising forced the colonial administration to recognise their specificity through the creation of the district of\u00a0Santhal Parganas\u00a0and the implementation of land protection laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Santhals fight against the British Raj | Photo: public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, Santal resistance is coalescing around official recognition of the “Sarna Code” or Sarna Dharma, a demand for their faith to be recognised as a distinct spirituality in the national census<\/strong>. The term Sarna<\/em>, meaning “sacred grove” in the Mundari language, has thus become a unifying political banner shared with other Adivasi communities, such as the Oraon and the Munda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Santhal gathering for the Sarna code<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jaher Than, the sacred groves<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The militant dimension of Sarna Dharma is directly rooted in the most ancient foundations of their culture, because Santhal spirituality is above all a form of deep animism, which revolves around a hierarchy of supernatural entities governing daily life and the survival of the community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Santhal spirituality is above all a form of animism centered around sacred groves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the apex of this cosmology is Thakur-Jiu,<\/strong> the benevolent creator who sustains the universe holistically but remains distant from immediate human affairs. His presence is so sacred that he is rarely called upon every five or ten years during special holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first Sal flowers are offered at the sacred grove during the Baha Parab festival – Jharkhand | Photo : Subrata Biswas<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the Creator, Marang Buru, whose name literally means “the great mountain”, is the deity closest to humanity and the active leader of the spirits known as Bongas.<\/strong> He resides on Mount Parasnath in the state of Jharkhand, which is also a major Jain pilgrimage site.<\/a> Marang Buru taught early humans the foundations of civilisation and today maintains the vital link between the living and the ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marang Buru also known as Mount Parasnath for Jain devotees – Jharkhand | Photo : Nizil Shah<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Refusing built temples, the Santhals revere nature in sacred groves called Jaher Than where the sacred resides directly in the living<\/strong>. This place is the domain of Jaher Era, the protective guardian of the grove who watches over the health of livestock and agricultural prosperity, particularly during the flower festival called Baha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dances in a sacred grove during Baha Parab flower festival – Jharkhand | Photo : Subrata Biswas<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Jaher Than is structured by the trees themselves, three Sals trees side by side welcome Marang Buru, the Moreko-Turuiko (guardians of the village’s well-being) and Jaher Era, while a Mahua tree is reserved for the fertility goddess Gosae Era. <\/strong>The relationship between the village and these invisible powers is maintained by the priest Naeke and the healer Ojha, who serve as essential intermediaries during the rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n