 Balpakram, the land of the spirits is full of legend, lore, myth and beliefs of the Garo people. The literal meaning of the word ‘Balpakram’ means a ‘place where cool breeze blows incessantly’. Garos believe that the body dies but the spirit remains forever practicing the same activities as human beings do till he or she is be re-born again as human beings or in other forms. Balpakram is a place of religion for the Garos who believe in the traditional life and spirit. Balpakram should be seen as virgin land and not be touched by human hands.
According to Garo traditions, the original dwelling place of the departed ancestors was Napak Hills situated in the East Garo Hills district. Legend further says that during their stay in Napak Hills, people cultivated in Jhum fields together with the spirits of the dead. A reason for shifting the place of habitation from Napak Hills to Balpakram was that one day while they were cultivating in the Jhum field together, a woman of Napak clan happened to split the stump of a dead tree in the Jhum field for firewood. As the Napak woman split a dead stump, spirits cried out saying that her father was killed, her mother was killed and the land is no longer safe for dwelling and they should run away from that place. Uttering these words, all the spirits of the dead ran away from Napak Hills to find new habitation place at Balpakram. From then, Balpakram has become the new abode of the spirits of the dead. Balpakram is the beauty Queen of Garo Hills wearing a Crown of legends, lores and myths on her head. However, the dwelling place of the spirits of Garo ancestors still remains a mystery. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com. |
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