Chinjj highlight of Jayanti Devi Fair's opening day

The two-day Jayanti Devi fair began with gaiety and fervour at the Jayanti Majri village in Kharar today. Pilgrims from near and far come in droves to pay their obeisance to the local deity. The Jayanti Devi temple is perched atop a hilltop with more than 100 narrow steps to the temple. Sundays and Tuesdays see a lot of pilgrims visiting the temple.From above, the view of the New Chandigarh area is breathtaking. Families with newborn babies had come to get the blessings of the Devi for their kids.

The highlight of the first day was the annual 'Chinjj' organised during the Mela which draws crowd in thousands.

Youths and elderly gathered at the village ground to witness the earthen wrestling matches. Rs 1 lakh prize was earmarked for the 'Jhandi wali Kushti' -- the top draw among the various weight categories.

Local wrestling enthusiast and Mullanpur resident Rohit Sharma said, "Close to 50 wrestlers of the state from different districts had gathered to pit their skills against each other as drumbeats rise and fall according to the moves of the sweat-smeared and earth-baked pehalwans."

Langar or community kitchen witnesses thousands of devotees breaking bread together after bowing their head in front of the revered Jayanti Devi.

Seeing the enthusiasm among pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking has ensured a bus service from the city to the village after every 20 minutes.

Swings, toys, trinkets, sweetmeats and household items are on sale during the fair.