Bengali year ending with Charak Utsav !

Bengali year ending is still celebrated through

CHARAK UTSAV & MELA at Beadon Street in North

Calcutta.This tradition has been going on for

more than 200 years & people of Kolkata & many

foreigners take great interest in witnessing

Sanyasis swinging round & round the Charak Tree.

After a month long fasting they offer prayer to

Lord Mahadev. They go through a lot of hardship

which includes jumping from a height of 15 to 20ft

bamboo structures to sharp knives (Bonti )& other

harmful materials. This happens at Chatu Babu's Bazar.

On Poila Baishak they finally sit down for a

sumptuous lunch at Chatu Babu's Thakurbari

which marks the ending of their fasting month.

It was probably in this Charak Mela where Swami

Vivekananda held a running horse when it went berserk !

After all Swamiji lived nearby & could have attended this

Chaitra Sankranti Mela !