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The materials of the Devalaya are not marked with time. They are acquired through continual process. The accumulation of materials increases with passing time as devotees used to offer. People keep a perception that living beings are the manifestation of god and He is the ultimate source of psychological shelter. So they donate materials to temples for the public utilization, attaining mental peace in the process.

Folkloristic study concerns with traditional material handed down from earlier times greeting changes. Even the survivalist Sydney Hartland opines that tradition is always being created anew. All such developments prompted Dorson to remark that in spite of the explicit connections with tradition, folklore is keyed to the current times, to the urban centre, to the industrial revolution, to the issue and philosophy of today.

Folklore comprehends all knowledge that is transmitted by word of mouth and all crafts and techniques that are learned by imitation and example as well as the product of such crafts. As such, it comprehends a whole range of material which includes folk art, folk craft, folk tools, folk costumes, folk belief, folk medicine, folk recipes, folk speech as well as those verbally formed of expressions which have been called folk literature (Bascom: 1972: 496)

As Robert Redfield in 1962 is of the opinion that tradition connotes the act of handing down and what is handed down from one generation to another. Thus tradition carries with the sense of age, long continuity and stability.鈥� (Datta: 2002: 29) Thus material culture encompasses different elements extracted from all aspects of life, and it is this folk reality which sustains the manifold activities of the people. The continuity of material culture in folklore traditions reassures a community of its own identity. Barring the theoretical hassle, it may be asserted that the real existence of the Devalaya could be realized only by the tangibility of the materials found in the complex in virtual sense. Though intangibility works in bringing sacredness to the Devalaya; however, the material lead the devotees to the sense of sacredness after having fulfilled certain religious conditions. Such conditions are illustrated under the sub-head:4.5 of the fourth chapter in the thesis.

1 Material and the Devalaya Culture

The material and the culture are intrinsically interwoven in the complex of the Devalaya. The genre of material culture includes all artifacts that one can touch, hold, live in or eat. They are tangible objects, with a physical presence intended for use either permanently or just at the next meal. Most of these folklore artifacts are single objects which have been created by hand for a specific purpose. These items continue to be considered folklore due to their long (pre-industrial) history and their customary use.

All of these material objects existed hithertho and continue alongside mechanized industry. They are transmitted across the generations and subject to the same forces of conservative tradition and individual variation that are found in all folk artifacts.

Prior to the industrial revolution everything was made by hand. While some folklorists of the 19th century wanted to secure the oral traditions of the rural folk before the populace became literate, other folklorists sought to identify handicrafts before their production processes substituted by industrial skills. Many crafts are considered to be simple home maintenance, such as cooking, sewing and carpentry. Handicrafts have also become for many a joyful hobby. Last but not least, handmade objects have taken on the sheen of prestige, where extra time and thought is spent in their creation and their uniqueness is valued. (Dorson:1972: 233鈥�52.) From this Dorsonian observation it is clear that both the handicraft and the oral narrative are of the paramount importance for the perpetuation of the folkloristic way of the society. The prominence of folkways is not obliterated by any kind of aggressive objects manufactured by the industrialization. Its significance is carried through the oral narrative. This truth is apparently visible and noticeable in case of Bilsweswar Devalaya. By superficial observation, all the truths can be visualized. The Devalaya seems to be a place for vague religiousness amongst the folk people. But it goes beyond the general parameter of religious practice. The wide range of acceptability in case of the Devalaya not only based upon the religiousness of it but it is equally based on its folkloristic practices. Folkloristic practices are the outputs of the religiousness deeply rooted in the psyche of the people. Hence the entire Devalaya cultural found to be relied upon the utilization of the materials that yields sacredness among the cevotees as well as the general public.

2 Conditions Maintained for Sacredness

All the rites and rituals performed in the Hindu culture have profound senses It cannot be confused as superstition. The Hindu tradition is built upon a lifestyle that, from the smallest of the rituals to the magnificent of the celebration, is contributing to the spiritual advancement of life through the performance of duties in their daily routines. The reasons of visiting a Devalaya is not only to get blessing but to also get a calm and better mind set. There are scientific reasons that can better elucidate the significance of the gestures performed in while visiting the Billeswar Devalaya

a) The Location and Structure of the Temple

The Devalaya is located at a place where the positive energy is available abundantly from the magnetic and electric wave conveyances of north/south post push. The idol of God is set in the core center of the temple, known as garbhagriha. Ideally, the structure of the temple is built after the idol has been placed in a high positive wave centric place. This garbhagriha is the place where earth鈥檚 magnetic waves are realized to be optimum.

b) Removing Footwear:

Billeswar Devalaya like other temples is a place that receives vibrations of magnetic and electric fields with positive energy. In olden days, temples were built in such a way that the floor at the center of the temple were good conductors of these positive vibrations allowing them to pass through our feet to the body. Hence it is necessary to walk bare footed while you enter the core center of the temple.

Another known reason is shoes and chappals are used everywhere hence they tend to get all the impurities like dirt, germs etc which spoil the pure environment of the temple and is the source of negative energy. Five senses of human body are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. These are activated by the help of strategic actions.

c) Ringing the Temple Bell.

People who are visiting the temple should and will Ring the bell before entering the inner temple (Garbhagudi, Garbhagriha, Moolasthanam or womb-chamber) where the main idol is placed. These bells are made in such a way that when they produce a sound it creates a unity in the Left and Right parts of our brains. The moment we ring the bell, it produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for minimum of seven seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our body. This results in emptying our brain from all negative thoughts. Bell sound is absorbed by the idol and get vibrated inside the Garbhagudi for a certain period of time.

d) Lighting Camphor in front of Idol

Inner part of the temple is usually dim where the idol is placed. You usually close your eyes to pray and when you open your eyes you should see the camphor which was lit to do the Aarti in front of the idol. This light seen inside the dark activates your sight sense.The other reason of lighting camphor is for the idol to absorb the heat and vibrate within the Garbhagudi for certain period.

e) Putting Palms over the Camphor

Once the camphor is brought to you after offering the prayer, devotees usually put their hands over the camphor with a view to warming their palms. Then they delicately touch their eyes. This activity gives a sensation to their eyes and solace.

f) Offering of flowers

Flowers are considered to be the divinely things. So they are offered in the name of god during performace of any kind of puja. Specific flowers are used for offering to God like rose petals, jasmine, marigold based on different factors, amongst them fragrance is most important. The fragrance of the flower, camphor and incense sticks all together have the strong essence to keep your smell sense active and pleasant giving calmness to the mind. Once upon a time, flowers were cultivated at Gandhiya for the use in the Devalaya. Reference of Gandhiya is made in other place of the thesis.

g) Drinking Pada Jal

Drinking pad-jal especially from a silver or copper vessel is a common religious activity after the end of worship in the Devalaya. The water used for pad-jal usually contains tulsi leaves dipped in water and are stored at least for eight hours in the copper vessel. Behind such religious rituals, there are some scientific pointa can be extracted. According to Ayurveda, water stored in a copper vessel has the ability to balance all the three doshas in our body. Drinking of this tulsi water, we activate our taste sense. Drinking tulsi water from a copper or silver vessel brings other curative effects to soar throat, fever, common cold, cough, respiratory disorder etc.

h) Pradakshin around the Garbhagriha

After the above stated rituals devotees move around the idol inside the garbhagirha- the innermost part of the Devalaya clockwise for nine times. The idol inside the garbhagriha absorbs all the energy from the bell sound, camphor heat and vibrates the positive energy within the Garbhagriha for a stipulated period of time. When we do the pradakshina at this point of time, we feel absorbing absorb all these positive vibrations once your five senses are activated. This vibration inside the Garbhagriha is considerably less and hence it is advised to visit the temple very often and follow the same rituals again.

i) Taking Phot over forehead.

Taking phot on the forehead is a common religious ritual in Hindu religion. Over the forehead, between the two eyebrows which is considered as a major nerve point in human body since ancient times. The phot is believed to be preventive means against the loss of energy. The red phot between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and enhance the level of concentration. While taking Phot, the point on the mid-brow region is naturally pressed. This act facilitates the supply of blood to the face muscles. Our Ancestors were affiliated with the fact long ago and they cultivated the system very intelligently which is maintained through religiousness It is also a means of making the devotees sacred inside the temple. Billeswar Devalaya performs these activities without any distortion.

3 Maintenance of the Materials

a) Dama

The materials of the Devalaya receive due care and maintenance. The repeated visit to the Devalaya during my fiels study has provided me opportunity to feel the care. The interns are seen to be devotional in rendering their services. Along with other materials, the Dama is used in the Devalaya mainly for kindling the hearing senses of the devotees. The original Dama donated by the royal families still exists in the Devalaya. It is made of brass metal. The Dama is still in a very good condition. The leather fitted with the Dama is extracted from buffalo. It is changed after the interval of three-four year by the help of leather artists.

b) Daa

Daas are used for animal sacrifice during kali puja, durga puja and lakshmi puja. The task of cutting the neck of animals to be sacrificed is accoplished by dawal. More than twenty five daas of various sizes are being kept by the Devalaya. But the original daas given by the royal families are not available. Daas seen in the Devalaya are deposited by the devotees at different times. In early times, devotees were in practice of sacrificing animals in their domestic pujas in compliance with the rituals mandated by the kalika purana. With the passage of time, the practice of sacrificing pet animal is gradually disappearing. Except than a few instances, animal sacrifice is now-a-days performed only in temples or devalayas. So the people donated their sacrificial Daos to the Devalaya. The Dawals are responsible for maintenance of the Daos. The Daos are taken out of the store for cleaning and sharpening before every occasion that includes animal sacrifice. Special kind of Puja is offered for the Daos and chanting mantra.

Besides it, vermillion phot is put upon the daas before puja.

c) Dewan Pukhuri

The Dewan Pukhuri is one of the centres of attraction in the complex of the Devalaya of which water is used in the rituals. The water of it is believed to be sacred. As per as my empirical observation is concerned, the temple authority shows reluctance for purifying the pond water. No scientific measure is seen to be taken for puryfying the pond water during the tenure of my study. On 16th May 2017 some fishes and a tortoise were found dead in the pond. Without any delay, Dr. Deepak Thakuria was immediately called in order to treat the other. After examination he stated that the water was highly contaminated and the animals were dying due to infection and severe worm infestation. Immediate measures were taken to rescue the fishes and tortoises from the aquatic disaster.

d) Nagakhya Park

For maintenance of the Nagakhya Park there is no designated Mali. An employee of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is engaged to run the water pump unit within the complex. He vouluntarily takes responsibility of maintaining the park. He maintains every sides of the park for recreational sports primarily for the children and for the devotees鈥� amusement.Material culture is attributable to the total psyche of the people. Human beings are very often obsessed with their basic instincts. One of them is the gregariousness by virtue of which all the people intend to get together in a tranquilous environment. From that angle, the material culture of the Devalaya fosters such an environment where people may meet each other though their basis motive is virtually religiousness. The sacredness of the parties felt by the visiting people as the background story of its construction by a military regiment is propagated.

Notes and References

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Barman, S, et al, (1998), A Historical and Cultural Study of Nalbari Region, Nalbari: Purvabharati, p-17

Bascom, RW, (1972) 鈥�Folklore鈥�, International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, p-496)

Buchli, Victor (2004). Material Culture: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 1. London: Routledge. p. 241.

Datta, B, (2002,) Folklore鈥檚 concern with the past and the present: The obvious affinities with history, Folklore and Historiography, p-29

Doloi, HS, (2003), Barebaraniya Assam, Nalbari: Padmapriya Library, p-176

Dorson, RM, (1972) Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction, London: The University Press of Chicago and London, p-234

Dorson, RM, (1972) Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction, London: The University Press of Chicago and London, p-253

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