Six-day Renuka Ji fair begins in Sirmaur today

Nahan, November 21

Thousands of devotees will gather at Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur for the six-day International Shri Renuka Ji Fair beginning on Wednesday to mark what they believe to be the arrival of Lord Parshuram at his mother’s abode.

Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania will inaugurate the fair and lead the ‘Shoba Yatra’ while Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla will preside over the closing ceremony on November 27, Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta said on Tuesday.

The speaker will receive the palanquin of Lord Parshuram on Wednesday afternoon on the bank of Giri River in Dadahu, and lead Lord Parshuram’s ‘Shobha Yatra’ after attending the ‘Deva Abhinandan’ ceremony of the palanquins.

He will also inaugurate cultural programmes of the fair, and preside over all religious ceremonies. The fair would conclude with the departure ceremony of palanquins of Lord Parshuram and other ‘devtas’, after the ‘Purnima Snan’ in Renuka Lake.

Taking a dip in the lake on Hariprabodhini Ekadashi (on November 23 this year) and Kartik Purnima (November 27) is believed to be auspicious by devotees.

The fair starts with the arrival of a palanquin of Lord Parshuram on the bank of Renuka Ji Lake. The palanquin is brought from Lord Parshuram’s ancient temple in Jamu Koti village.