Rupal Palli: Where literally a river of ghee flows in the village

We have heard in our mythological stories that there were kingdoms with milk and ghee flowing like rivers.

If you visit Rupal village, a few kilometres north of state capital Gandhinagar on ninth night of Navratri, you would actually see a river of ghee, as devotees offer drums of ghee to goddess Vardayini. It is believed that those who offer prayers, have their wishes fulfilled.

"It is said that Pandavas offered ghee here during their exile, as they later wanted to get their kingdom back. Since then it has become a tradition here," said Jashubhai Parmar, sarpanch (village head of Rupal).

A palli is a sort of palanquin, whose procession is taken out at mid night of ninth Navratri. There, devotees offer tonnes of ghee, which flows in the lanes of the village.

"The village has a population of 8,000, but those who have left the village for cities return to take a glimpse of Palli. On the day lakhs of devotees come to the village to offer prayers and ghee as well," said Arvind Trivedi, manager of the temple trust.

The rush for the village is so huge that private vehicles are not allowed entry after the afternoon of eighth Navratri. Elaborate police arrangement is made as people throng to have a darshan of the Palli.

An aarti of 33 diyas is conducted at mid-night, followed by prayers by all the communities of the village. A procession is then taken out, during which ghee is offered. Special volunteers climb the palli to pour the ghee.

Only the members of Valmiki Community (sanitation workers) have the right to collect the ghee and use it. No one even thinks of using the ghee. On the very next day, they collect the ghee for their use.

"People of Valmiki community, collect the ghee next morning, filter it and use it for cooking. They can even give it to members of their own community," said Parmar. It is said that individual devotees offer truck loads of ghee to get their wish fulfilled. Villagers say that inspite of the ground getting slippery, they have never heard of someone slipping or the place catching fire.

Drums Of Wishes

• Every year, a procession of palli or a palanquin is taken out at midnight of ninth Navratri where villagers offer drums of ghee. It is believed that offering ghee will make all of their wishes come true