What is Beng Kutni? Farmers sacrifice thousands of frogs in Bihar to appease rain gods

While farmers in different parts of India have their own unique ways to appease the rain gods, the ones in Bihar sacrifice frogs to ensure that their fields are not dry and barren. Thousands of frogs were sacrificed in a ritual called Beng Kutni in five districts of South Bihar - Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Nawada, Arwal and Gaya.

What is Beng Kutni?

According to Baliram Singh, a villager of Chiriyawan in Gaya, Beng Kutni is an ancient ritualistic sacrifice which is done in order to appease the rain gods. The rain gods, in turn, bless the humans with an abundance of rain.

The meteorological department's statement that Bihar will experience a dry monsoon was more the reason for farmers in southern Bihar to perform Beng Kutni.

Singh said that in order to conduct the ritual, a group of women are supposed to dig a makeshift water body. These water bodies are then filled up with water brought from all the wells in the village. After this, the villagers catch several live frogs from nearby bushes, fields, wetlands and put them in the water pools of the freshly dug out wells, following which the amphibians are crushed to death.

Another bizarre fact about the ritual is that, after killing the frogs, a garland is prepared with the animal carcasses which is worn around the neck by a man. He then starts hurling cuss words, reported IANS. It's said that the more the man abuses, the better the chances of rain.

Animals hurt in Buddha's land

This sacrifice has been carried out in many parts of Bihar in the hopes of a good monsoon. However, what is disturbing about this ritual is that the sacrifice also took place in the land of Gautam Buddha, who had always preached that animals should not be harmed.

Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautam Buddha achieved enlightenment and is one of the most prominent pilgrimage sites for Buddhism in the world.

According to Buddha's teachings, "One must not deliberately kill any living creature either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in acts of killing."

Besides killing frogs en masse, farmers across India are known to engage in varied rituals in the hopes of attracting more rains.

Earlier in July, two daughters of a farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district helped their father in ploughing the field hoping they'll get a good harvest.

"My sister and I have started ploughing the field so that we can please Indra (the God of rain) and he can shower his blessings on us and we can have a good harvest," the eldest of the farmer's daughters told news agency ANI.

In another such ritual, two frogs were 'married' in Madhya Pradesh's Chhattarpur area for a good monsoon. However, this is not limited to MP. Marriage of frogs has been conducted across states like Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand.