Bahirawa — The Guardian of Earth and The Protector of Treasures
The Forbidden Aspect of an Ancient Ritual
We live at the bottom of a mountain, so there are several water springs there. In the evenings, we loved to visit these springs for a bath — much easier than pulling water from a bucket in our home well.
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We had to travel some distance, through a lightly grown jungle. On our way, there was a large rock formation with a distinctive crack close to an end. We could see a wasp net in that crack, barely visible outside. Our elders said no one has ever attempted to cut it due to its nature. So, it had grown freely inside the crack.
If you are brave enough to go closer, you could see a special mark carved on the rock surface near the crack. It looked like a footprint of a bird, perhaps a rooster or peacock. This raised our curiosity because it indicated a possible hidden treasure location.
In those ancient times, a strategic retreat was expected when a kingdom faced an invasion. Traveling with all the wealth is risky, and you don’t want to give it up to your enemies. So, hiding in a secret place was the obvious option to be used later.
A wise king made it a habit to know such locations in advance. When the time was right, the King himself would secretly travel there with a trusted helper, carrying the most valuable items. Then King might ask the helper to deposit them in the location. The helper, seeing such wealth for the first time, might be tempted by greed.
Next, the King might say to the helper, “Son, these treasures are now under your protection. You are the guardian until the rightful owner claims them again. Promise me that you will look after them at any cost.”
The helper might eagerly accept this responsibility out of greediness or respect for the King. While he was looking at the treasure, a sword quickly separated his head from his body, a deed carried out by the King himself. It was commonly accepted that someone had to be sacrificed for the protection of valuable items.
Wealth comes from the Earth, so its claims always lie with the Earth. If you trust Earth to protect them for a temporary period, you must please the protectors of Earth with a sacrifice. These protectors are called ‘Bahirawa,’ types of dark deities. Some say that the sacrificed person himself becomes a ‘Bahirawa’ and acts as a protector.
In either case, once the wealth is under protection, it cannot be easily retrieved. Specific rituals need to be performed, and the significance of the ritual increases based on the value of the hidden property. Usually, there is a marking to demarcate the level of sacrifice. Sometimes, it is a rooster or a peacock, while other times, it may be a newborn calf or a grown bull.
However, the marking does not always indicate the sacrifice; it merely points out the location. In such cases, you need to refer to a secret book called ‘Nidan Wadula’ (like a log book of all hidden treasures made of palm leaves).
Nowadays, you can use a metal detector to find treasures. Still, in the past, this book was considered the ultimate legend. It contains identified treasure locations and the rituals that need to be performed for each.
In some instances, the sacrifice required is something more powerful than an animal’s life; it calls for human life. Not just any human life but that of a virgin who has recently come of age or a boy who has not yet reached adulthood. There is a list of such eerie requirements.
Sometimes, it even demands the sacrifice of an elderly individual with three living generations. This means the eldest child of a family whose mother and father are both the eldest children in their respective families. To prevent this possibility, it became a custom in our culture to prohibit marriages between the eldest children of two families.
I could provide many more eerie details, but I will stop here and refocus on the story from my past. A few years ago, we learned that someone had blasted the rock formation. No one knows the specifics regarding those involved or whether they found a treasure. It remains a mystery to this day.
However, one thing is sure: acquiring a treasure is prohibited according to our laws. One would need a significant political connection to carry out such an operation
Recently, my friend Britt shared an interesting article about a myth in Japanese folklore called, Hitobashira (Human Pillar). It aroused my curiosity because I noticed a connection to the concept of ‘Bahirawa,’ possibly due to the similar name [Bashira & Bahirwa].
In our culture, the Bahirawa deity plays a similar role as depicted in Japanese folklore. Since, Bahirawa is considered the protector of the Earth, obtaining his blessings is necessary for any work related to the Earth, such as the construction of buildings, roads, or other structures. Without his blessings, it is challenging to complete such work in a timely manner.
In continuously delayed projects, rumors are circulating about sacrifices, often involving animals and even humans being bound into the foundation. However, our society, based on Buddhism, strongly opposes such practices. As a result, these acts are carried out secretly, with only rumors reaching us.
I am a professional in the construction industry. So I have first-hand experience encountering various reasons that can cause project delays. We maintain a risk register to identify and mitigate their impact. However, there are certain events, mostly unforeseen, that we cannot overcome.
Even a skilled project manager cannot manage every single one of them. In such cases, I cannot simply ignore these rumors regarding following a dark path to complete a project.
Phew! We have finished another eerie aspect of our culture. Not all aspects of a culture are beautiful. We must also acknowledge the existence of the unpleasant parts. Hopefully, you will tolerate this until we encounter a pleasant story.
For a change read this feel-good story regarding a treasure.