• Rajender Kumar

Gugga (also spelled Guga or Goga)―a folk god, said to have been a historical figure and is thought to have been active in the 11th century in Rajsthan―is worshiped in Rajsthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as hero saint, and the protector against snake bites, scorpion bites, infertility, and evil spirits . With strong affiliation with the cult of snake bites and the nath yogi tradition, his life story and the tales of his miraculous deeds are recited in an oral epic tradition almost evenly in Punjab and Himachal. The colonial accounts―by Alexander Cunningham, R. C. Temple, William Crook, H.A.Rose, J. Ph.Vogel, G .W. Briggs―exhibit that Gugga (known both, Vir and Pir) was more popular amongst marginalised communities, in particular, the lower castes (avarnas) than the upper-caste(savarnas, dvjia, lit. twice born) people in Punjab and Himachal. This is quite evident from the works of Bhai Vir Sing, Giani Ditt Singh, Gurdit Singh, H. S. Bhatti and Harjot Oberoi etc. In the beginning of previous century, in view of apparent popularity of the Gugga, the devotees were vilified by some section of the dvjia in term as ‘those who worship him have lost their senses’. In Himachal, unlike Punjab, little seems to be known of the ritual and cultural traditions associated with the worship of Gugga. During field study conducted in Himachal Pradesh worship of Gugga was found quite widespread amongst lower castes Hindu comprises of Chamar, Julaha, Dumana, Bhangi, Dagi, Chanal, Nath, Teli, Hesi, Koli and Girath. Gugga’s popularity can be gauged from the fact that Gugga deity is considered a chief deity by majority of lower caste populations in Himachal Pradesh. It is estimated that in Himachal Pradesh around ninety percent devotees of Gugga are from the lower castes. Therefore, keeping in view the popularity of Gugga among the lower castes (consists 25 percent population of the State), the present study is an endeavour to study ritual and culture interconnected with Gugga worship in Himachal Pradesh so as to estimate its precise emergence and growth. We have witnessed that Gugga being non-Brahamanical deity was deprived of any kind of patronage especially from the princely rulers and wealthy communities of the region during Medieval and later-Medieval period. Therefore we did not come across big temples dedicated to Gugga from that period. However, picture seems to have changed during the late 19th - early 20th century after the association of Brahamanical rituals with the worship of Gugga, till than deity was exclusively associated with lower castes. Since beginning of the 20th century public offerings by the ruling and upper castes had become common features―perceptible till today. We have even noticed Bhahmin priests managing and performing the rituals in Gugga’s shrines (for e.g. Gugga Gehrwin, Gugga Bhater and Gugga Bhyanu Pir etc.). Though, the worship of Gugga by the upper-castes for their routine needs is quite common, but the Gods of the Hindu pantheon are still their chief objects of worship. These changes, however, indicated a process where the deities of the lower castes that had stayed outside the ambit of the greater religious system were gradually being incorporated into Hindu pantheon.

Gugga, Guru Gorakhnath, Lowercastes, rituals, Gugehri, Marri, Dera, Mandli, Bhartha

"Gugga: The Chief Deity of Marginalized People of Himachal Pradesh", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.132-137, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907L73.pdf

"Gugga: The Chief Deity of Marginalized People of Himachal Pradesh", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp132-137, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907L73.pdf