Historical PeriodEra
Oral / medieval / documented history
3000 BCEOral / medieval / documented historyPresent
Sacred Facts ยท At a Glance
Mantra
Tradition-specific invocations
- Sacred Colours
- tradition-specific
- Sacred Offerings
- tradition-specific
Primary Scriptures
1 source- Primary texts of Sarnaismscriptural / devotional / folk
Bantala Mountain โ Santal sacred
Tradition
Sarnaism / Santal
The Place
- Location: Bantala, Jhargram, West Bengal (22.45ยฐN, 86.9833ยฐE)
Sacred Narrative
Bantala Hill (also Sฤmฤi Pฤrbata) in Jhargram district, West Bengal, is venerated by ~200,000 Santals of the Jungle Mahal region. It is one of the core Sarna sacred groves. Santals gather at Bantala on the third day of Sohrai (January) for community feasts and the annual Hunt-festival. Near the hill: the Dharma Thakur shrine โ a confluence of Santal Sarnaism with Hindu dharma-worship.
Why This Entry Matters
India's sacred landscape embraces Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian, tribal, regional-folk traditions โ each with its own cosmology and priestly lineage. This entry honours Sarnaism on its own terms.
Wisdom Graph: Divine Associations
MantraTradition-specific invocations
- Offerings
- tradition-specific
- Sacred colours
- tradition-specific
Worship Procedures
- Daily rites
- โข tradition-specific daily observances
- Puja sequence
- tradition-specific
Principal Temples
- Main shrine of Bantala Mountain โ Santal sacredMedieval-modern๐ Bantala, Jhargram, West Bengal, IndiaFestivals: Annual festival ยท Weekly/seasonal special-day worshipBantala โ the sacred mountain of the Bantala Santals
Festivals
Sources & provenance
๐ 1 Scholarly๐ 1 Tertiary
- ๐Scholarly sourceBookSarnaism tradition: scholarly and community sources
- ๐Supporting referenceGazetteerJhargram District Gazetteer