Every 3 years, an entire Bastar village jumps into a pond to catch fish together

Raipur: Every three years in a tribal village in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, an entire pond is flooded with hundreds of people.For three years, villagers in Kondagaon’s remote areas rear fish collectively in a community pond without touching the stock. Then, on a fixed summer day marked by grand drumbeats, rituals and prayers to village deities, hundreds of people jump into the water together to catch the fish with nets, baskets and bare hands in a centuries-old tradition known as ‘Bandha Mataur’.A great sight to watch, the photos and videos of the festival have gone viral all over social media, catching attention of those interested in bizarre tribal traditions.In Barkai village, it was celebrated on Saturday after a three-year gap. The rare tribal pond festival once again transformed Barkai village into a giant muddy spectacle of splashing water, flying fish and community celebration, drawing crowds from across Bastar and neighbouring Odisha.“Bandha” means pond and “Mataur” means catching — together signifying the collective harvesting of fish nurtured by the village over several years.Far more than a fishing event, the festival is regarded as a living symbol of collective ownership, social unity and Bastar’s deeply rooted tribal culture.The event coincides with the annual ‘Barhpali Madai’ fair organised in honour of local deity Bhangaram Dev. After rituals led by the village priest and patel (village head), drums and traditional instruments begin echoing around the pond — a moment locals say marks the beginning of the most anticipated ritual.Villagers claim that as the special rhythms rise, fish begin mysteriously leaping out of the water on their own.Within minutes, hundreds descend into the pond.Young men dive headfirst into muddy water while women balance baskets and nets through waist-deep slush, laughing and shouting as fish wriggle free from their hands. Some use traditional fishing tools such as jali, saunki and chagodi, while others rely only on bare hands.Organisers said participants using equipment paid an entry fee, while hand-catching remained free. Children below 15 years were barred from entering the pond for safety reasons.Local organiser Milan Kumar Pandey said people from any village in the district are allowed to participate, making ‘Bandha Mataur’ one of the region’s largest community-driven traditional gatherings. It’s also believed that the ritual comes from a thought that the pond water evaporates in scorching heat, leaving fishes dead on the surface; so, they should be caught, consumed or sold.According to villagers, the tradition dates back decades to the time when villages’ former malguzars got the large ponds constructed through collective labour and declared that once every three years, all fish in the pond would belong equally to the community.Even today, after the catch is collected, the fish are distributed among villagers in kilos under a traditional sharing system.Another ritual surrounding the village malguzar continues to draw curiosity. Residents believe that once the malguzar touches the pond water at the end of the event, the fish suddenly stop surfacing — symbolically marking the conclusion of the festival.For villagers, however, ‘Bandha Mataur’ is less about the catch and more about continuity.