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In the quiet village of Bagnan, located about 60 kilometers from Kolkata in West Bengal, the vibrant spirit of devotion comes alive during the annual Gajan Festival—a week-long spiritual observance that culminates with Charak Puja, celebrated just before the Bengali New Year. The festival is a blend of fervent faith, local tradition, and symbolic rituals deeply rooted in rural Bengal’s cultural identity. This year, around 150 devotees, known as Gajan Sannyasis or Bhoktas, ranging from adolescents as young as 14 to elderly participants, are actively engaged in age-old rituals. One of the most distinctive and spiritually significant aspects of the celebration is the worship of the 'Yoni', the symbolic representation of the divine feminine principle. Performed before a local Shiva temple, this ritual reflects prayers for fertility, abundance, and cosmic balance. The Yoni Puja, rarely seen outside Tantric traditions, is a unique expression of sacred union and is carried out with great reverence. The Gajan Sannyasis, many of whom fast and undergo physical hardship in preparation, consider these rituals a path to divine grace and spiritual fulfillment.
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