It's partshakti cult, part oracle, and primarily a sati cult with a difference. The Bhattiani Sati Rani - worshipped as 'mahasati' across Jaisalmer district - is said to have been her brother-in-law's lover and immolated herself on his funeral pyre rather than her husband's.To some of the believers who flock to her temples, she is a fierce Kali-like figure; to others a gentle Sita-like mother-goddess. Says Sri Kanwar, who has built a temple to the Bhattiani Rani in her Jaisalmer home: "The sati can bless or punish. She is omnipotent."And is a source of oracular powers, claims Sri Kanwar, who often goes into a trance when "possessed by the devi". Acting as a medium, she then answers questions from people about their future and offers solutions. "All my wealth is thanks to the devi's blessings," says Badrinath Chandak, a businessman from Jaisalmer who visits the main sati temple there regularly. Lovers, wives, professionals, businessmen, they all come seeking her help. Says Roopmati, a young, local bride: "The devi can make our married life happy, bless us with sons."Typical of such cults, the sati history is woven into legends and lost in time. Said to belong to the Bhatti Rajput clan of Jaisalmer, she was married to a powerful Rathore Rajput of Jalor, over two centuries ago. The spread of the cult reflects that link: the two main Bhattiani temples are in Jaisalmer and Jalor, though several smaller temples are scattered across the Thar. The cult even inspired a Marwari film,Mata Rani Bhattiani, last year.Star-crossed lovers pray to the devi for happy endings. Women facing domestic strife, or men having trouble at work, seek her help.The caretakers of the main temple near the Jaisalmer railway station say she committed sati on her brother-in-law's pyre not because he was her lover, but because she thought it was her husband's pyre - she was misinformed that he had died in battle. A sanitised version of the principal legend. Shades of the Ramayana can be seen in another, according to which the Bhattiani Rani's husband suspected her of adultery with his younger brother and as she committed sati on her devar's pyre to prove her virtue, the earth opened up and swallowed her.The manner of worship at her temples is quaint. A typical evening arti begins with hymns praising the Sati Rani sung by the Manganiars - a hereditary clan of musicians - to the accompaniment of the dholak and nagara. Caught up in the rhythm of the song and the mesmeric pounding of the drums, women, faces covered with ghunghats, get up and begin a frenzied dance, often to finally collapse writhing on the floor. Said to be possessed by the Sati Mata, they claim to speak for the devi in their hypnotic state.The presence of the Manganiars is another unusual facet of this cult. A preserve of the upper castes, the temple is barred for Muslims or backward castes. Yet the Manganiars, who are Muslims, have the right to sing and collect offerings at every Bhat-tiani Sati temple. Explains Lune Khan, who sings at the main sati temple every day: "We sing here because the Bhatti family, to which the sati belonged, was our patron, and the tradition continues."There is another legend that links the Manganiars to the cult and allows them entry into the cult's temples. In this story, the Bhattiani Rani's in-laws did not complete her last rites after her immolation and her spirit began to haunt the house. One day, a Manganiar came across the discontented spirit. To appease her, he promised to immortalise her legend through his songs. And since then - when exactly, is of course as wispy as the spirit itself - the Manganiars, who have played a key role in popularising the cult, have been singing paeans to her.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 31, 1996--- ENDS ---
