Kecaikhati

Kecaikhati ("eater of raw flesh") is a prominent goddess from Northeast India.^[1] Her shrine is considered to be the Tamreswari Temple, near Paya in Arunachal Pradesh;^[2] and she is referred to as Dikkaravasini in the 9th century Kalika Purana whose temple formed the eastern limit of Kamarupa.^[3] But unlike Kamakhya and Kamakhya Temple, which acquired Brahmin priests and became associated with the legendary Narakasura and the historical Kamarupa kings,^[4] Kecaikhati continued to remain outside the ambit of Brahminical influence and remained under the control of Deori priests during the time of the Chutia kingdom^[5] and after up to the present time.^[6]

Known as a particularly bloodthirsty goddess, Kecaikhati continued to receive human sacrifices during an annual festival and at calamitous times^[7] well after the Ahoms took over the Chutia kingdom in 1523^[8] till the Ahom king Suhitpangphaa (1780–1795) or Gaurinath Singha banned the practice.^[9] Kecaikhati was the tutelary goddess of both the Chutia kingdom^[10] as well as the Dimasa kingdom.^[11] and the Ahom kingdom accorded the Deori priests special respect.^[12]

Priesthood

The tribal priests of Kecaikhati are called Deori, who today form a community called the Deori people. Functionally, they are divided into four offices Bor Deori, Saru Deori, Bor Bharali and Saru Bharali. Only the Bor Deori and the Saru Deori entered the temple and offered worship using incantations which the common people did not understand. The two Bharalis collected tithes and procured offerings for the temple, including sacrifices. They are understood to have magical powers, and commoners often approached them for services. During the Ahom reign, all four offices had to approach the Ahom king to seek permission to perform the human sacrifice. The Kecaikhati temple, originally situated near Chunpura, was maintained by the Borgaya Deori clan.^[13]

The Deoris were the priests of two additional temples: the temple of Gira-Girasi (Old Ones, or Burha-Burhi in Assamese language), that was maintained by the Dobongia Deori with the original temple on the Kundil river or Dibang river; and the temple of Pisadema (Elder Son, or Boliya-hemata in Assamese) that was maintained by the Tengapaniya Deori with the original temple at Tengapani river.

Origins and legends

Kecaikhati is noted to be a daughter of Bura-Buri and the younger sister of Pisadema.^[14] According to tradition, human sacrifices were first offered by Kecaikhati to Bura-Buri for introducing sin in this world—and over time, these sacrifices were offered to her instead. On account of her flesh-eating nature she is also called Pisashi after Pishachas, the flesh-eating demons of Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

In medieval period, her worship was related to power, warfare and royalty.^[15] Under Hindu influence she has come to be known by different names: Tamreswari in Sadiya by the Chutias, Ranachandi in Maibong by the Dimasas. To the Tai Khamtis, she might be known as Nang Hoo Toungh.^[16]

Notes

^ "One of the most famous goddesses worshiped in the north-east and one of the first to receive attention from British colonial officer-scholars in the 1800s, is the Goddess Kecaikhati, eater of raw flesh..." (Shin 2023:61)
^ "The shrine of Kecaikhatl has always been referred to as the Tamresvari Temple in later times because it was covered with a roof of beaten sheets of copper. The temple formerly stood at lat. 27° 56', long; 96° 21' near Paya in Arunachal Pradesh, about 8 km away from Tebangkhunti on the Sadiya-Teju route." (Shin 2023:61)
^ "According to the eleventh-century Jvi,fikapura1J4 (51.76-7), Kamarupa is triangular in shape and also one hundred yojanas in length from the Karatoya to the Dikkara and thirty yojanas in breadth from the north to the south. It is black in colour and interspersed with innumerable hills and hundreds of rivers. Here, the dwelling place of Dikkaravasini is deemed as the eastern limit of Kamarupa." (Shin 2023:62)
^ "(T)he Goddess Kamakhya is well-known for her close association with Narakasura or demon Naraka. As a son of the Earth and Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation, he had been the central figure in the fabricated genealogy of Kamarupa and the constant source of political authority of three ruling families, the Varmans, Mlecchas, and Palas, from the seventh to the twelfth century." (Shin 2023:69)
^ "These references lead one to assume that the sacrificial ritual for Dikkaravasini in the form of Tikhnakanta was presided over by non-Brahmanical priests such as the Deoris among the Chutiyas in later times." (Shin 2023:65)
^ "In my observation in 2012, it was found that the Tamresvarl Temple located in Sadiya town at present is a recent construction of not more than fifty years old. The local people still consider the Goddess KecaikhatI as a daughter of the Old Ones called Bura-buri in Assamese or Girasi-gira in Deori language. They offer buffalo sacrifice to her at this new Tamresvai Temple every three years, and a Deori who comes from a specific family performs the sacrificial ritual." (Shin 2023:78)
^ "The Deoris offered human sacrifices to the goddess on certain special occasions including their annual performance, and also to avert special calamities such as cholera, small pox, and drought." (Shin 2023:72)
^ "In the case of Tamresvari Temple, the goddess was served by the Deoris, the representatives of the priestly class among the Chutiyas. They were permitted to continue their religious service to her including human sacrifice even after their subjugation by the Ahoms in 1523." (Shin 2023:70)
^ (Shin 2023:74–75)
^ "Among them a great deal of importance is given to the Chutiyas in connection with worship of the Goddess Kecaikhati, mentioned as Digaravasini (i.e. Dikkaravasini) in their inscriptions and later known as Tamresvari." (Shin 2023:66)
^ "There is at Sadiya a shrine of Kechai Khaiti the tutelary deity of the Kacharis, which the Dimasa rulers continued to worship even after the establishment of their rule in Cachar." (Bhattacharjee 1992:393)
^ "The four chief Deoris thus had to make an annual visit to the Ahem court in order to demand and obtain the sanction of the king for their annual sacrifice of human beings. They were treated with much respect by the Ahom kings on that occasion. It is said that when any Hindu Gosain (the leaders of neo-Vaishnava order) appeared before the Ahom king, the latter remained seated, while the Gosain put the garland on his neck and gave blessing; but when the four chief Deoris made an annual visit to the court, the king rose and stood before them to receive their salutation." (Shin 2023:72)
^ "Her temple was somewhere around Chunpura on the Brahmaputra. She was worshipped by the Borgaya khel." (Shin 2023:71)
^ (Shin 2023:71)
^ (Shin 2023:71)
^ (Laine 2019:17-18)

References

Bhattacharjee, J. B. (1992), "The Kachari (Dimasa) state formation", in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. 2, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board, pp. 391–397
Shin, Jae-Eun (2023), Kecaikhaiti, Eater of Raw Flesh: A Profile of the Multifaceted Goddess in the North-East, Manohar Publishers & Distributors
Laine, Nicolas (2019), Phi Muangs. Forces of the Place among the Khamti in Arunachal Pradesh

[1] "One of the most famous goddesses worshiped in the north-east and one of the first to receive attention from British colonial officer-scholars in the 1800s, is the Goddess Kecaikhati, eater of raw flesh..." (Shin 2023:61)

[2] "The shrine of Kecaikhatl has always been referred to as the Tamresvari Temple in later times because it was covered with a roof of beaten sheets of copper. The temple formerly stood at lat. 27° 56', long; 96° 21' near Paya in Arunachal Pradesh, about 8 km away from Tebangkhunti on the Sadiya-Teju route." (Shin 2023:61)

[3] "According to the eleventh-century Jvi,fikapura1J4 (51.76-7), Kamarupa is triangular in shape and also one hundred yojanas in length from the Karatoya to the Dikkara and thirty yojanas in breadth from the north to the south. It is black in colour and interspersed with innumerable hills and hundreds of rivers. Here, the dwelling place of Dikkaravasini is deemed as the eastern limit of Kamarupa." (Shin 2023:62)

[4] "(T)he Goddess Kamakhya is well-known for her close association with Narakasura or demon Naraka. As a son of the Earth and Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation, he had been the central figure in the fabricated genealogy of Kamarupa and the constant source of political authority of three ruling families, the Varmans, Mlecchas, and Palas, from the seventh to the twelfth century." (Shin 2023:69)

[5] "These references lead one to assume that the sacrificial ritual for Dikkaravasini in the form of Tikhnakanta was presided over by non-Brahmanical priests such as the Deoris among the Chutiyas in later times." (Shin 2023:65)

[6] "In my observation in 2012, it was found that the Tamresvarl Temple located in Sadiya town at present is a recent construction of not more than fifty years old. The local people still consider the Goddess KecaikhatI as a daughter of the Old Ones called Bura-buri in Assamese or Girasi-gira in Deori language. They offer buffalo sacrifice to her at this new Tamresvai Temple every three years, and a Deori who comes from a specific family performs the sacrificial ritual." (Shin 2023:78)

[7] "The Deoris offered human sacrifices to the goddess on certain special occasions including their annual performance, and also to avert special calamities such as cholera, small pox, and drought." (Shin 2023:72)

[8] "In the case of Tamresvari Temple, the goddess was served by the Deoris, the representatives of the priestly class among the Chutiyas. They were permitted to continue their religious service to her including human sacrifice even after their subjugation by the Ahoms in 1523." (Shin 2023:70)

[9] (Shin 2023:74–75)

[10] "Among them a great deal of importance is given to the Chutiyas in connection with worship of the Goddess Kecaikhati, mentioned as Digaravasini (i.e. Dikkaravasini) in their inscriptions and later known as Tamresvari." (Shin 2023:66)

[11] "There is at Sadiya a shrine of Kechai Khaiti the tutelary deity of the Kacharis, which the Dimasa rulers continued to worship even after the establishment of their rule in Cachar." (Bhattacharjee 1992:393)

[12] "The four chief Deoris thus had to make an annual visit to the Ahem court in order to demand and obtain the sanction of the king for their annual sacrifice of human beings. They were treated with much respect by the Ahom kings on that occasion. It is said that when any Hindu Gosain (the leaders of neo-Vaishnava order) appeared before the Ahom king, the latter remained seated, while the Gosain put the garland on his neck and gave blessing; but when the four chief Deoris made an annual visit to the court, the king rose and stood before them to receive their salutation." (Shin 2023:72)

[13] "Her temple was somewhere around Chunpura on the Brahmaputra. She was worshipped by the Borgaya khel." (Shin 2023:71)

[14] (Shin 2023:71)

[15] (Shin 2023:71)

[16] (Laine 2019:17-18)

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