Maati ti’aar (mati puja or earth festival) in Bastar Chhattisgarh

This is celebrated in central Bastar and Beeja pandum in south Bastar. This is a very important tribal ritual held, annually. This is a beautifully celebrated Pastoral fair.

The tribal people are deeply religious and superstitious. They believe in worshipping  Mother Earth. They fear that on angering Mother Earth( Which is the source of their income ), draught and famines would strike. Cracks and fissures would emerge on the fertile plains, which would resemble the hide of a leopard. Therefore, people worship the mother Earth on this occasion for ample yield of crop.

One of the central rituals is that, the seed preserved for sowing in the coming season is fertilised through rituals and sacrificial blood. The festivals takes place on different dates in different villages. It is generally held in Chaitra Navratri in March-April, the cheerful month of spring.

A toll is collected from passers-by for this festival. This is an important festival, as the people earn their living by farming and most of the people in the area are dependent on their crop. They celebrate the festival with pomp and grandeur.