The Bhils have very complex relgious ceremonies traditionally inherited. The tribal anthropology of the Bhils does not portray this beautiful and sublime aspect, since the social and cultural anthropology of the tribal India has certainly and intentionally neglected especially by the Indian universities and even what is available is based on the social and cultural prejudices not done justice to the cultural traditions of the majority of the population of India which is 80% in the country. Many tribes of India like Warlis, Santhal, Mundas, Khadia, Oraons have beautiful values, world views and the supernatural world of the tribal India significantly portray this aspect, a times better than their Hindu bretheren of the plains. Some foreign scholars of cultural anthropology have done justice to the tribal anthropology, tribal folklore and tribal history in Chhotanagpur, Gondwana, and North East. In the case of the Bhils the Vienna school of cultural anthropology has contributed significantly to the proper understanding of the tribal anthropology of the Bhils as compared to India scholars. In this case two names should be specially pointed such as of Dr. Wilhelm Koppers SVD and Leo Jungblut SVD.
The thanks giving rite of god Gal, portrays uniquely the elements of tribal anthropology with no corruption in the tribal tradition of the Bhils from other sources like Hindus, Muslim, Jain, Budhists, etc.
There is long myth prevalent in the oral literature of the Bhils of Central and Western India which describes that a Bhil named Khando Ravji was facing an irksome and difficult and almost an impossible situation, since the kind had imprisoned him. In this circumstance khando Ravji took an oath in honour of god called Gal promising that if he is freed from the prison, he would offer him a thanks giving sacrifice as it is done through Gal rite or ritual. His wish was granted. Later according to the promise made to the god Gal, Khado Ravji offered honestly the thanks giving sacrifice and popularised the ceremony of Gal Dev among the Bhils of Central and Western India.
Rita Wiesinger a cultural anthropologist from Austria has studied in details the festival of Gal in her monograph popular among the Bhils of Jhabua(MP) India . In this case the Bhils, men only take vow to the god Gal for granting them favours in the impossible situation. And when granted they fulfill the vow by climbing over to a high Machan(platform made of wood) and go round upon it in the swinging form 3-4-5- or 7 times. And while the devottee comes down from the machan, offer a sacrifice of a goat, slaying its head and smearing its blood at the foot of the Machan main pole symbolising the god Gal.Then they return home for sharing meal with their friends and relatives.The festival of Gal occurs after the burning of Holi on the fooling evening or afternoon.
The festival of Gal is exclusively of the Bhil origin popular in whole of Bhilanchal. It is an indigenous festival of India, culturally and folklorically unique to the tribal anthropology of India.
For the thanks giving rite the devotee who takes an oath to god Gal, goes to several Bhagoria markets in the Bhilanchal, dressed in white turban, red clothe rapped round his body, white dhoti round his waist, kajal in the eyes, turmeric on his body, accompanied by girls belonging to his clan singing folksongs in honour of his oath and god Gal.
This indicates that the Bhils have rich folklore, strongly religious in outlook, cultural values, sincere and selfless in their devotion, which non tribals either looked down, unaware, igrorant or did not recognise the traditions of tribal India. Certainly as the pragmatic aspect of tribal cultures, we find that the tribals in this case the Bhils have better religiosity than many of the religious traditions of India and world religions.
As such there are a few hundred spots where the thanks giving ceremony to god Gal are offered in Bhilanchal with great reverence, honour, discipline, crisis-management, honesty, self-purity, and so on. The greatest thing is to be observed is that the Bhils have managed and are managing their own social and cultural gatherings of even large numbers. Both state and Central Governments have made great damage a times to the Bhil management, Bhil Panchayats, Bhil religion, including outsiders by not recongnising, honouring, and introducing the coruupt systems from outside in the fields of social, cultural, legal areas. The gatherings of Gal and other places are the proofs of the same. Will the good govenments, social scientists, NGOs, even miisionaries ever understand that the Bhils and other tribals are more honest, honest citizens, just, in many ways......?
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