Religious fervour marks end of Hiljatra festival
Our Correspondent
Pithoragarh, September 2
People in large numbers took part in the Hiljatra at Kumaor village in Sor Valley today. The week-long festival of Lord Shiva and Parvati, observed in Sor Valley and adjoining areas, concluded today. The region was soaked in religious fervour. The festival depicts agrarian society in which Lakhia Bhoot (essence of Lord Shiva) is worshipped.
The celebrations had started on August 25. In Kumaor village, artistes enacted plays depicting agrarian practices of sowing, reaping and transplanting paddy, said Komal Singh Mehta, a resident of the Sor Valley.
Besides officials of the district administration, Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, former Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant and local MLA Mayukh Singh Mahar participated in the celebrations.
Historians of Sor Valley say the practice of depiction of agricultural practices by staging scenes while worshipping Lord Shiva and Parvati began in the 15th century when the clan of Mahar Thakurs from Nepal settled in the valley. “People of the Mahar clan started producing paddy in the valley as it used to receive adequate monsoon rains, and attributed it to local deities, including Lakhia Bhoot, who is devoted on the occasion of Hiljatra,” said Dr Ram Singh, a well-known historian of the Kumaon region. He has also authored a book on the history of the Sor Valley.
Hiljatra was earlier celebrated in Bajeti, Baraloo, Kanalichina and Jakhpuran villages. “With the celebration of Hiljatra festival to seek blessings from local deity Lakhia Bhoot coming to an end, the statues of Lord Shiva and Parvati were immersed in the river today,” said Padma Datt Pant, another historian of the Sor valley.
