Bathouism

Bathouism, or Bathou, is the unorganized folk religion of the Boro people of Assam in Northeast India. The name Bathou in Boro means five, and their belief system embraces five principles: bar (air), orr (fire), ha (earth), dwi (water) and okhrang (ether). Bathoubwrai is the unseen principal deity and creator of the five principles. He is  is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Other minor gods and goddesses are acknowledged. The second most important deity is Mainao, daughter of Bathoubwrai and protector of the rice fields. The sijou plant is considered as the living embodiment of Bathoubwrai. Householders plant a sijou shrub at the northeast corner of their courtyard in an altar called sijousali. Traditional Bathouism does not possess written scriptures or temples. Worship is performed by families at the sijousali and ceremonies feature offerings of animals and rice beer. Kherai is the most important religious festival of the Boros, agriculturalists who aspire to ensure a good harvest. The Kherai festival is performed to appease both Bathou and his daughter Mainao, or, alternately, Lakhsmi, Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility, and prosperity. The Garja puga purification festival is intermittantly performed to counter the negative reprecussions of unrighteous behavior by individual Boros (who are obliged to offset the expense of Garja puga). It is also performed when epidemics plague the Boros. The Marai festival is intended to appease Mainaoto and ensures the well being of families and villages. In a distant era, human sacrifice was a component of the Maria festival. Today a buffalo is sacrificed, alongside traditional offering such as a pair of grasshoppers. Boro ceremonial festivals are performed by priests called Douri (males) and Doudini (females).