Jai bolo Nanda Devi ki

 Nanda Devi Mela is being celebrated in Nainital these days

Nanda Devi is the presiding deity of Kumaoun. It is said that Devi Parvati in her part reincarnation was born in the family of Kumaoun King. Sunanda was her sister. The Nanda Devi Mela is the most important festival of Kumaoun and is held in honour of Goddesses Nanda  and Sunanda Devi.

The story goes that Nanda and Sunanda once went in to a forest and a bull buffalo chased them. They tried to hide under different type of vegetations but finally got refuge in a banana tree forest. A goat came there and ate away the banana leaves with the result that Nanda and Sunanda were visible to the bull buffalo, which killed both  sisters. This is said to be the reason that goat and bull buffalo are sacrificed during the Nanda celebrations.

The Nanda Devi fair commences from Bhadrapad Shukla Panchami in September. On the Panchami day the devotees go to invite Banana trees for the celebrations. Amidst chanting of Ved Mantras, four Banana Trees are selected by the devotees. The tree, which shivers first, is selected to prepare the Nanda Devi idols. The second tree is used to prepare the idol of Sunanda. The third and the fourth Banana trees are kept as stand by, so that in case the first or the second tree is damaged/disfigured, the third or the fourth is used as substitute. On the seventh day, the four trees are cut and amidst great fanfare are brought to the place in temple where Nanda & Sunanda idols are to be prepared. The idols are prepared out of trunks of the banana tree. The support structure of faces of  Nanda and Sunanda is made out of cane wood and banana trunk pieces becomes the base, over which is draped yellow cloth to give it the shape of a face. The faces of Nanda and Sunanda are then drawn. Earlier the eyes were made from liquid rice ( called biswar). Now the eyes are mostly prepared from silver. The idols are decorated with the traditional attirvami ( the nath  of a Kumaoni bride)

The main celebrations  are held on Astami. On nineth day (Navami), bull buffalo & goats were slaughtered as sacrificial offering to Devi Nanda and the meat distributed as Prasad. Now this sacrificial practice has been stopped.

Tthe Nanda Devi & Sunanda Devi idols are taken round the town with great fanfare. The idols are finally  immersed in the lake or river. During the fair, people dance in groups and sing Jhore, Chanchari, Bhagnaul Bair etc. The dance is accompanied by Hurka, a traditional Kumaoni small drum. Folk dancers come in large numbers and dance in groups to the tune of songs, bagpipes and Hurka. 

For more details and lovely pictures, please visit http://www.nainitaltourism.com/Nanda_Devi_Mela.html. 

CUCUMBERS IN THE FIRE: Yesterday Ganesh Chaturthi was also Khatarua, a unique rural festival in our Kumaon 

“Khatarua” is celeberated in September (first day of Hindu month of Ashwin). Initially, celebrated to display supremacy of one dynasty over the other, the festival was greatly toned down as a gesture and effort to foster greater kinship between people of Uttarakhand. 

In a larger context, the festival also marks the start of autumn. Bonfires are lit in the evening, children dance around it and cucumbers are offered to the fire - signifying destruction of all evil influence. It is also said that due to paucity of food in the war-torn region, the victorious Kumaouni soldiers celebrated by sharing cucumbers. Children while dancing around the bonfire chant “ Chal Khatarua dhaare dhaar; Gau ki jeet khataruey kee haar”

Khatarua means: animal disease - ref: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/5884-unique-rural-festival-khatarua-to-be-celebrated-today.html

Incredible Bharat Guest Entry: Amazing Adinath of the Jains

Madhuban is a town in Jharkhand state at the base of Shikharjee Hill/Parasnath - one of most revered hills for Jains, where 22 Jain Teerthankaras got "Moksha". Madhuban is also the place where "Gunayatan", a unique Jain Temple is under construction.

In the temporary Prayer Hall is a Pratima, actually discovered in a field in a village in Jharkhand. The villagers started worshiping it and it is said that all their wishes were granted when prayed for. The Pratima is unique in many senses. It is almost fully intact and very beautifully carved. It resembles the work of sculptors of Jain Teerthankaras and Jains wanted to take it. The villagers were not ready to part with it but after visit of Jains with respectful credentials, the villagers agreed to handover the Idol. The Idols of Teerthankaras are identified by their special symbols (Chinhas). This Idol here doesn't have any clear such symbol on it. The Jain Muni associated with Gunayatan identified the Idol as that of Adinath... The First Teerthankara.

Our country & places are full of such wonderful stories/legends. Our Incredible Bharat.

Say hello to the Sah Community of Kumaon :)

When I searched for Sah (my paternal surname) on the Internet, I was disappointed to find nothing valuable on the origins of our tiny community. I asked my father to pen down a few details about the stories and tales about the exclusive surname. Here is what he remembers from the narrations of his grand father, father Shri Kishori Lal Sah & uncle Sri Chandra Lal Sah Thulgharia. Enjoy this little read.

"Sah/Shah are a small community of Kumaon. There are many "Sections" of Sah / Shah community and has many myths to it origin. Sah/Shah are an urban community, those living in cities / towns are primarily engaged in trade and others who live in semi-urban or rural places are in agriculture and animal husbandry. The clans of Sah/Shah community are many such as Kumaoiya, Thulgharias, Gangolas, Jagati, Tamkia, Chaudhary, Chukurait, Jakhwal, Kholibhiteria, Salimgarhia. These are derived from either the names of ancestral villages, title received and even the main trade(s) they were involved. 

Interestingly our ancestors claimed to be Kshtriyas and some say or claim to be Vaishya. There are even incidences of Sah/Shah families marrying into rajput families and even Royalty of Nepal. The community per se is not originally  from lands of Kumaon but migrated mainly from UP, HP almost 500 or more years back and got assimilated in the main steam of Kumaon."

Incredible Bharat Guest Entry: Our Miraculous Culture 

THE LEGEND OF TIWARI BABA OF KHADHARA, Distt. BANKA, BIHAR, INDIA

Khadhara is a village on Bhagalpur – Dumka main highway.

Once Mughal Emperor Jahangir was on visit to Jaithorenath area and while staying happened to be angling in lake. Nearby, a pandit also happened to be roaming. Emperor Jahangir jokingly asked the Pandit, what is going to be hooked in the line of fishing rod? Pandit said a quail is going to be caught in the hook of the line. The Emperor got quite annoyed & said that if no quail is going to be caught in the hook, you will be hanged.

When the Emperor pulled the line, a quail sitting in nearby Banyan tree got caught in it.

Emperor Jahangir was very pleased and donated a large plot of forested land  having 56 plots & some ruins to Pandit and made him the zameendar of the property. Panditji’s name was Lakshmi Narayan Jha and his younger brother was Pandit Vaidyanath Jha. After getting the jameendaree, Panditji started getting addressed as Lakshmi Narayan Chaudhary. His family successors live in the village even today.

With habitat established by Pandit Lakshmi Narayan, the place started getting populated. One night, one Sri  Bhookhan Pathak living in Khadhara had a dream that in such & such place in the jungle, there is a large “mud structure/mud body” (mud pind) and Its name is Tiwari Baba and He is the Presiding Deity of the village and His worship should be started by constructing a temple at the same place. Bhookhan Pathak in his dream also saw Tiwari Baba’s image surrounded by snakes. He was also conveyed in his dream that if  the water used in worshipping the “Mud Body” is fed to a person bitten by a snake, the effect of poison shall go away and the person shall be fully cured from the effect of the poison.

As in dream, the place was excavated and really a “Mud Pind” was founded there and along with It, a stone sculptor of Lord Buddha, Goddess Mahalkshami & Bajrangbali Sri Hanuman was also found. After proper puja, archana these were installed. Since then, anyone bitten by a snake is given the water offered to Tiwari Baba and the person gets cured of the bite.

Later on, the villagers after collecting donations created an Open Temple. The villagers had proposed to construct a roof on the temple, but one of the offsprings of Bhookhan Pathak had a dream, where he was advised that Tiwari Baba should be kept in open only. That’s why the temple is in an Open Manner only.

People bitten by snakes from surrounding areas visit Tiwari Baba’s temple and go back after getting cured of the snake bite.

There are many who after being bitten by poisonous snakes like kobra, krait. saankhad etc are living today due to benevolence of Tiwari Baba. The process of cure also requires full faith of affected the person on Tiwari Baba.

Every year, in the month of “Ashaad”, the whole village conducts big Puja of Tiwari Baba with great devotion and pomp & show after collecting donations.

(As Narrated by Sri Raghbendra Jha of Khadhara.

Sri Raghbendra is Administrative Officer with Arissan Power Limited, Banka and interestingly was himself bitten very recently bya kriait snake and was fully cured due to great benevolence of Tiwari Baba. Sri Raghbendra has now himself become a part of the Legend of Great Tiwari Baba of Khadhara).

Incredible Bharat Guest Entry: Shrawan mela mein DeogharJyotirlinga darshan ke liye ek mahina chalne waale utsav mein 50 lakh se bhee adhik log Gangaa se jal lekar Baba Dham Deoghar mein chadhane paidal jaate hain.

Harela is peculiarly a Kumaoni festival to mark the advent of the rainy season. The celebration falls on the first day of Shravan. Ten days before the due date, seeds of either five or seven kinds of grains are mixed together and sown in pots inside the room, using small baskets filled with earth. The sowing is done either by the head of the family or the family priest. It is done ceremoniously. Water is sprinkled after worship. On the last day of the month of Aasarh, one day before the actual celebration of the festival, a kind of mock weeding is done with small wooden hoes. Gaily painted images of Shiva and Parvati and their off springs are prepared and worshipped on the Shankranti day. Green shoots Harela are placed on the head gear.

The significance of Harela lies in the fact that it provides an opportunity to the cultivator to test the qualities or defects of the seeds he has in his store. Shubh Harela to you today.

This blog is my attempt to record my father's deep knowledge and insights into our traditional and native Kumaoni Culture. It is dedicated to our rare and special Kumaoni community and is meant for all those who belong to it or love it, or both :) The words and photographs here are either written or compiled by him from different sources.