A confluence of faith and the faithful

Dipender Manta

The Shivratri fair of Mandi offers a perspective of the deity culture of Himachal Pradesh. Over 200 deities congregate in Mandi town every year to take part in the weeklong fair, and stay there in temporary camps along with their followers.

The festival centres on “Madho Rai” (Lord Vishnu), protector deity of Mandi, and Lord Shiva of the Bhootnath temple. The main attraction of the event is the ‘Jaleb’ (procession of deities) led by Madho Rai. Most of the deities along with their followers join it. The fair starts on February 22.

The deities arrive in palanquins from far flung areas of Mandi district and it takes them days to reach the town. According to local residents, Mandi town remains abuzz with activity and echoes of the sounds of ‘dhol’ and other traditional instruments of deities. The town is known as Chhoti Kashi — 81 temples of Lord Shiva are situated here. A large number of devotees pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at these temples.

Decorated with jewellery

Interestingly, every deity is decorated with gold and silver ornaments, thus throwing up a major challenge to the district administration to ensure the security of the deities. The followers of the deities take the responsibility of keeping a check on thieves. They depute select persons on rotation for day and night patrolling in deity camps. To ensure overall security and traffic management, the town is converted into a fortress and an adequate number of personnel are deployed.

Rain God chief guest

Kamrunag, the deity known as rain God, also visit Mandi town to preside over the fair as chief guest. After meeting Lord Madho Rai on the very first day, he moves towards the Tarna temple on hilltop and stays there all seven days to keep a watch on the event.

Goddesses, too, attend

A few goddesses also attend the fair but do not join the procession. They stay at one place where devotees can pay obeisance to them.

Naresh Vaidhya, a resident of Mandi town, says, “The Shivratri fair provides a fair view of the rich culture of our state. Himachal is known as Dev Bhoomi, as is evident during the Shivratri fair when hundreds of deities arrive in Mandi town”.

“Even in the modern era, people of Mandi district have deep faith in their deities and stay with them in temporary camps provided by the district administration during the Shivratri fair. Also, government offices witness a thin attendance during the fair as employees take leave to join their deities,” he says.

“The confluence of deities and their devotees at the Shivratri fair every year is a splendid show of culture. Anyone wanting to have a peek into the deity culture of the state should see the fair. Besides, Mandi town become a hub of business and cultural activity,” adds Vaidhya.

Raja Suraj Sen (1664 to 1679), ruler of Mandi state who did not have an heir, built the Madho Rai temple dedicated to a form of Lord Vishnu, known as the protector of Mandi. An elegant silver image of Radha and Lord Krishna was made by Raja’s goldsmith Bhima in 1705, which was named Madho Rai and deified, and ordained as the king of Mandi state thereafter. Since then the rulers served the state as servants of Lord Madho Rai.

However, the practice of organising a fair on Shivratri is linked with Raja Ishwari Sen. He remained a prisoner for 12 years after he lost his kingdom in the war waged by Sansar Chand of Punjab in 1792. He was released by the Gurkha warriors, who had invaded Kangra and Mandi states. Afterwards, the Gurkhas restored Mandi state to Ishwari Sen. He was given a reception on his return to Mandi, his state capital. The king invited all deities of the kingdom to a grand celebration on the occasion, and the day happened to be Shivratri. Since then a fair is being organised on Shivratri at Mandi.

190 registered deities take part

"This fair has its own importance in the modern era in conserving the rich deity culture. Around 190 registered deities join the festival, and many unregistered deities also mark their presence. To maintain decorum, we have decided that only registered deities will be allowed to sit in ‘Chauhta Jatar’ at one place this year. It has been observed that unregistered deities occupy the place in advance, creating chaos."

Shivpal Sharma, president of Kardar Sangh Mandi

Invite foreign cultural troupes to perform

"In the past few years, it has been observed that western culture is being promoted more, while Himachali culture and art is getting less attention on stage. There is need to promote Himachali art and culture before the audience rather than focusing on western culture. The Shivratri fair has been recognised as an international fair but the participation of foreign cultural troupes is almost zero. There is need to invite foreign cultural troupes to perform at the fair" Naresh Vaidhya, resident of Mandi town

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