Ahmedabad, As Gujarat revels in grand commercial garba celebrations during Navratri, a narrow lane in Ahmedabad’s Shahpur area on Sunday witnessed a unique ritual in which men from the Barot community donned sarees and performed the folk dance.
As the threat escalated, Sadu Mata first killed her daughter, Ajuba, and then asked her husband, Hathisingh Barot, to kill her with a single stroke of his sword rather than let her be taken to the royal court, he said.
Pintu Barot, a resident of Surendranagar, travelled to Ahmedabad with his family to participate in the event. The ritual, observed as an act of penance and gratitude, is linked to the belief that the community suffered a curse after Sadu Mata’s death, followed by a series of deaths among men and the decline of family lineage. In the years that followed, the Barot community believed it was facing a curse, as family lineage dwindled and several households witnessed deaths among male members. As part of their vow, the men pledged to wear garments associated with ‘Sadu Baa’ as an act of atonement. The community believes that its family lineage began to flourish again after the prayers, strengthening its faith in the ritual.
“The tradition dates back more than 200 years, when Sadu Mata, a woman from the Barot community, was summoned to the royal court of Ahmedabad because of her exceptional beauty,” said Tushar Barot, a resident of the pol . “However, members of the Barot community resisted sending her to the court against her will, leading to a clash with the soldiers,” he said.
