No Nagni Mata fairs in Nurpur this year

Nurpur, July 17

The Nagni Mata fairs in Nurpur, which are organised on Saturdays during Shravan and Bhadrapad months of Hindu calendar every year, are not being celebrated due to the Covid pandemic. Thousands of devotees from Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Punjab and Jammu throng the Nagni Mata temples situated near Bhadwar and Kandwal in Nurpur on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway.

The main temple, locally known as Bari-Nagni, is situated 9 km from Nurpur, near Bhadwar. Devotees from far off places visit this temple everyday and during Shravan and Bhadrapad months, long queues of devotees can be seen. But in the wake of the pandemic, these temples are closed for devotees.

Local devotees Arun Sahotra, Madan Gupta and Praveen Sangalia, who used to pay obeisance at the Nagni Mata temples regularly, said the life of Himachalis revolved around the deity culture that they were now unable to follow due to the closure of the shrines since March 22. — OC