Piplu fair begins in Una today

Rajesh Sharma

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Una, June 11

The district-level Piplu fair will begin tomorrow at the Thakurdwara temple in Piplu village of the Kutlehar Assembly segment. The three-day fair will be inaugurated by local MLA and Rural Development Minister Virender Kanwar, who will lead a religious procession before offering prayers at the temple.

The temple is located on the Solasinghi Dhaar and overlooks the valley. 

Devotees from Una, Hamirpur and Kangra districts visit the temple every year and on the day of ‘Nirjala Ekadashi’, the annual fair began to be organised here. It is held during the time when the farmers are relatively free. 

The wheat harvest is over and locals await the monsoon for maize sowing. The fair therefore gradually became a place for local trade with small goods and agriculture produce being exchanged for money. 

About seven years ago, the state government accorded a district-level status to the Piplu fair and since then the district administration has been organising it. Since the temple courtyard is not sufficient to accommodate the crowd during the fair, local farmers allow pitching up tents, setting up temporary stalls and stage for cultural programmes on their adjoining vacant agriculture fields. 

On June 12, after inaugurating the fair in the morning, Kanwar willl attend the first cultural night, in which Himachali singer Dheeraj Sharma will perform. During the second cultural night, BJP state president Satpal Satti will be the chief guest. Pahari singer Karnail Rana will entertain the audience. 

Vice-chairman of the HP State Industries Corporation Ram Kumar will be the chief guest at the third cultural night, where Bollywood singer Nidhi Rastogi will be the main attraction. 

According to an official release, local cultural artistes will be allowed to perform on all three days before the main artistes. While various departments will put up exhibition stalls, the Animal Husbandry Department will organise a cattle show-cum-market, where farmers can buy good breeds of cows, buffaloes and goats.