SSC CHSL 2023 PYQ — Question 46

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Chhattisgarh.

The Kajari festival is primarily celebrated in Chhattisgarh.

• The Kajari festival in Chhattisgarh is a significant monsoon festival, particularly for the farming community. It marks the beginning of the sowing season for important crops like wheat and barley, symbolizing hope for a prosperous harvest.
• Celebrated with traditional fervor, the festival commences on the ninth day after the Shravan Amavasya (new moon) and culminates on the Kajari Purnima (full moon) in the month of Bhadrapada.
• Women play a central role in the rituals, especially those blessed with sons. They collect earth in leaf cups and sow barley seeds, which are then worshipped in a dark room for seven days.
• The walls and floors of these rooms are traditionally decorated with cow dung and mud, adorned with rangoli patterns made from rice flour, depicting auspicious symbols.
• The women fast and pray for the well-being of their families and a bountiful harvest, carrying the worshipped cups in a procession to a nearby water body for immersion on the final day.
• The Kajari festival in Chhattisgarh often coincides with the celebration of Raksha Bandhan, highlighting the interwoven cultural and agricultural traditions of the state.