P atalkot, a remote valley located near Tamiya in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, is not only an untouched paradise for nature enthusiasts but also a sacred land steeped in ancient traditions. Home to indigenous tribes, including the Bhariya, Gond, and several other tribal communities, the valley has long been a place where traditions have been passed down generations. Among these traditions are the vital spiritual and cultural rituals practised by the Bhariya and Gond tribes, the Ganga Pujan and Beedari Puja.
Ganga Pujan is a ceremonial rite performed to honour and elevate deceased family members to the status of deities. After a family member passes away, a special ceremony is conducted where the villagers, alongside the ojha (spiritual healer) and gunia (traditional priest), gather to carve sacred symbols onto stones. These stones are then placed at a sacred site where prayers are offered to the Ganga.
Beedari Puja is a harvest and fertility ritual. During this ceremony, both men and women from the community prepare traditional dishes and bring them to the village temple or designated prayer site, accompanied by bamboo baskets coated with clay. These baskets contain various seeds from their home grain reserves — maize, millet, finger millet, and sorghum — which are essential for their agricultural practices.
The seeds are blessed during the ceremony and then distributed among the villagers in small leaf bundles. Each family mixes the blessed seeds with their own.