Saturday, January 14, 2012

Fairs/Festivals in Himachal Pradesh (हिमाचल के मेले)

Minjar Fair (मिंजर मेला)

Minjar Mela is celebrated in the Chamba valley of Himachal Pradesh in India, as a memorialization of the victory of the King of Chamba over the ruler of Kangra, in 935 AD. The history about this fair is that when The King return, people greeted him with sherfs of paddy and maize, as gift to stand for prosperity and happiness. Minjar Mela is organized in August every year to thank God and ask for his blessings for a good yield. The fair run for a week and its main highlights are folk singing and dancing which show the culture heritage. The offerings include a rupee, a seasonal fruit, a coconut, and a 'Minjar', made up of sherfs of paddy and golden silk wrapped in red fabric.

Earlier, a buffalo was also sacrificed at the time of the Minjar Fair, but not know. It was said that the sacrifice of the buffalo to river Raavi could predict the fortune of the area in the coming year. If the flow of river carried away the buffalo or if it was drowned, then it was considered to be a good sign as the sacrifice have been accepted by the deity. If it struggled away to safety at the other shore of the river, it also show a good sign as it was considered that the bad luck has now been transferred to the other portion of the river.

However, if the buffalo swam its way back to the place from where it was thrown into the river, it was considered to be very bad omen. The fair is main organized when the paddy and maize shoots emerge from the soil. Everyone who visits the Manjar Mela wears the clothes normally made of silk. On the first day of the fair, the idol of Lord Raghuvira is brought to the venue. In this procession, the Lord is accompanied by more than 200 local deities of the surrounding areas. There fair of Minjar go on for a week and dance and music performances of, such as 'Kunjari Malhar.

During this fair, the entire valley of Chamba get to there here. On the final day, a big procession from the Akhand Chandi Palace to River Raavi, where the offerings are made to the river. The Minjar Fair goes that once River Raavi used to flow near the Hari Rai temple. Raja Sahil Verman requested a sage, who used to cross the river everyday, to pray to the Lord to make the temple which is accessible to everyone. After a week of Yajna and weaving of a long cord made up of original 'Minjar', the sage finally managed to change the course of the River Raavi.








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