One bright monday morning, i was sitting at the office as usual and my boss walked in and asked me to get ready to go camping at Erijiyan, a town in Ekiti-West, South-West Nigeria.
The town is the home of one of the most revered Erin Ayonigba(The Elephant River) sacred to the Iffa worshippers. The stream is a branch of the "Osun" river, a river that was said to have once been a Queen of the god "Sango" the Yoruba god of thunder but after an unfortunate event, she turned into a river that passed through many towns on Yorubaland.
We spent a night at the riverside so as to get first hand view of the annual worship by the pilgrims which was schedule for the next day.
Erin Ayonigba(The Elephant River) has been the annual pilgrim spot of the Iffa worshippers who throng to it once in a year to celebrate and offer prayers to it. It is believed to cure all forms of infirmities and protect it worshippers. It was ministered to by a priestess, in relationto the feminism of the river's origin. She is in charge of offering prayers to the river and ceremonial cleansing of the worshippers. The villagers are barred from fishing in the river, as a result of that, the river is stuffed with certain species of catfishes that are as long as 4-5 feet and very broad in girth.
It worshippers came out on an all-white attire which signifies purity.
What makes this river so unique is that it flows upstream. Now at first, when we got to the Oba's palace(The king), we were told about it but i was a bit skeptical. How can a river flow upstream? But on getting to the river, i found it was actually flowing upstream.
What a sight to behold.