important fairs and festivals of uttaranchal?

Answer 1

Doonagiri Mela,Syalde Bikhauti Mela ,Gananath Mela,Kasar Devi Mela ,Jageshwar Mela ,Somnath,FairDusshera Fair,Basant Panchami ,Khatarua ,Uttarayani Mela

Answer 2

Kandali

In the Chaudans region of Pithoragarh district, a flower - Kandali (Strobilenthes wallichii) - blooms once every 12 years (last in 1999) and the people celebrate Kandali festival between the months of August and October. The Chaundas Valley is remote in the Dharchula tehsil of Pithoragarh. It lies between the Kali and the Dhauli rivers. In the week long festival the local people - Shaukas or the Rangs participate with gaiety and enthusiasm in different villages of the region. Some stories are associate with this festival, which express the martial tradition of the Shaukas. In the first story, it is said that by tasting the poisonous flower of the Kandali the only son of a widow died. In the second story, this flower the symbol of famine and poverty. According to the third and most popul< story, the region was once attacked while the menfolk were away for trade. Th brave women repelled the enemy, who hid in the Kandali bushes, and the attacked the bushes and destroyed the enemy. The festival commemorates thei bravery and the women therefore destroy the plant ceremonially to remind th local people of the incident and to prevent further mishaps.

The festival begins with the worship of a Shiva Linga made of barley and buck wheat flour mixture. Local liquor is traditionally used during this festival. Every household performs it in a decorated comer of the courtyard. People pray for prosperity. The individual pujas are followed by a community feast. Then, the women and men, in their traditional dresses and laden with gold and silver ornaments, assemble around a tree on the sacred ground of the village. Strips of white cloth are tied to the tree and a flag is raised.

A procession is formed behind the flag. The women lead the procession, each armed with a ril (an implement used in compacting carpet on the loom) followed by children and men armed with swords and shields. As they sing and dance their music echoes in the valley. On approaching the blooms, war like tunes are played and war cries uttered and the women attack the bushes with their rils. The menfolk then come to their aid, and the bushes are hacked with swords. They uproot the bushes and take them back as the spoils of the war. Victory cries are raised and rice grains are again cast towards the sky to honour the deities with the prayer that the people of Chaundas Valley may be ever victorious over enemies. Festivity, dancing and music continue throughout the night.

The enthusiasm and emotion have to be seen to be believed. All the members of the community, even those living elsewhere, return to their village for the event, on the return of the procession to the village an assembly known as the 'Savdhoomo-sabha' is held at which sweetmeats, liquor and fruits are consumed, the deities are again worshipped with flowers. Festivity, dancing and music continue throughout the night.

Culture and Society of Uttaranchal

» Kumaon Cultural Heritage
» Garhwal Cultural Heritage

Uttaranchal People and Society

Bagwal Festival, Devidhura
Bagwal Festival, Devidhura
The history of modern Garhwal/Kumaon dates back to 7th and 8th Century AD when the Yavans began capturing the plains of India. Most of then Hindu kings from various parts of India migrated to Uttaranchal along with their family, army and the priests. Later on the children of the armymen and the priests contributed to the population of the region. As a result of this migration, the Uttaranchal society consists of 70% Rajputs, 20% Brahamans and the remaining 10% comprises of other castes and communites.

Since kings from various parts of India migrated to Uttaranchal, the Uttaranchal culture reflects the diverse culture of every region. The presence of Rajput majority in the region contributed to the worship of the Godess of Power - "Durga" which is still practised in almost every part of Uttaranchal. The fact gets proven with the presence of various Durga temples across the region. The animal sacrifice was also a part of this worship and still practised in many regions.

The antiquity of the sate can be traced back to 2nd century BC when the region was ruled by the Khasias and it was known as Khashdesh. Recent excavations has indicated that the region was under the domain of Kunidas, the central Himalayan tribe, who practiced early form of Shaivism at around 200 AD. There is also an Ashokan edict at Kalsi, in Garhwal region, which indicates that Buddhism also reached these parts of the country. Between the 10th adn 18th centuries, the Chand dynasty dominated the eastern Kumaon. Under the Chands, eastern Kumaon became a centre of learning, and various art forms including Garhwal school of painting was developed. With the decline of the Chand dynasty the region became under the Garhwali kings till the Rohillas took charge of the land in 1744 AD. The area was overtaken by Gurkhas in 1803 and ultimately by the end of 1814, Britishers expelled Gurkhas from Garhwal and Kumaon to take eastern Garhwal as British Garhwal and returned the western part, Tehri Garhwal to the deposed Raja. After 1857, the region became part of British empire. Since independence, the local aspiration steadily grew demanding a separate state of Uttaranchal which finally acquired its dream of statehood on 9th November 2000. The region is presently subsisting on the tourism business. It is also the land of the brave. Its Garhwalis and Kumaonis are reputed to the finest soldiers of our armed forces.

Char Dham Yatra 2006
The Char Dham Yatra for this year commenced from 30th April 2006 following the opening of Gangotri and Yamunotri Temples. The "kapats" of Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines were declared open on 4th May 2006.

According to the Hindu scriptures, the holy centres of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath - collectively called the Char dham (meaning the four sacred spots) - are the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Undertaking a journey to these places will not just wash away one's sins but ensure release from the cycle of birth and death. The honour conferred on these places is not surprising. For one, they are all in the icy Garhwal ranges and regarded as the most sacred of all Himalayan ranges. It is also said that heaven and earth converge in these holy spots, and to be born or die here is a boon only the very fortunate have. The Chardham must be visited from left to right -beginning with Yamunotri, going on to Gangotri, Kedarnath and culminating the journey at Badrinath. This route follows the Hindu tradition of parikrama or clockwise circumambulation.

* Yamunotri
* Gangotri
* Kedarnath
* Badrinath

Yamunotri

The temple of Yamuna was built by Maharani Guleria of Jaipur during 19th century. It was rebuilt following its destruction during early period of the last century. The temple at Yamunotri (3,291 m) stands on the western edge of the Bandarpoochh peak (6,315 m) in Garhwal Himalayas.

The sacred river of Yamuna originates from Yamnotri glaciers. Mythologically Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun just like Yama who is also considered his son. It is believed that Yama would not torment any person at the time of death who bathe in Yamuna that is his sister. Near freezing Yamunotri glaciers there are steaming hot spring known as Kunds. All this present divinely control over the entire setting. Surya Kund is the most important Kund. A pinch of rice or some potatoes tied loosely in a cloth and dipped in it and after few minutes is taken out gets completely cooked which is normally taken as 'Prashad' back home by the pilgrims. Near 'Surya Kund' there is 'Shila' called 'Dibya Shila' which is worshipped before Puja is offered to Yamuna ji. Nearby, there is Jamuna Bai Kund built about 100 years ago which is used for the holy bath. The water come is pleasantly warm and relaxing. The 'Pandas' or the Pujari of Yamnotri come from the village of Kharsala which is on the other bank of Yamuna near Janki Bai Chatti.

Gangotri
Gangotri Temple
Gangotri

The holy shrine of Gangotri (3,140 m) situated in the high Himalayas, is dedicated to goddess Ganga. According to legend, King Sagar, after slaying the demons on earth decided to stage in Ashwamegh Yagya as a proclamation of his supremacy. The horse which was to be taken on an uninterrupted journey around the earth was to be accompanied by the King's 60,000 sons born to Queen Sumati and one son Asmanjas born of the second queen Kesani. Indra, supreme ruler of the gods feared that he might be deprived of his celestial throne if the 'Yogya' (worship with fire) succeeded and then took away the horse and tied it to the ashram of Sage Kapil, who was then in deep meditation. The sons of the King Sagar searched for the horse and finally found it tied near the meditating sage. Sixty thousand angry sons of King Sagar stormed the ashram of sage Kapil. When he opened his eyes, 60,000 sons had perished by the curse of sage Kapil. Bhagirath, grand son of King Sagar, is believed to have meditated to bring down the Ganga which brought back sixty thousand sons into life. The Bhagirathi, 'Shila' is located near the temple of Ganga where the holy Ganga first descended on earth trom heaven. Hence the place is known as Gango!ri. The temple of Bhagirathi was erected by the Gorkha General, Amar Singh Thapa in 18th Century at the source of Ganga.

The other places of pilgrimage are Surya Kund, Vishnu Kund and Brahma Kund located in the vicinity of Gangotri. Bhaironghati (2743 m) is a halting place if one wants to reach upto the height of Gangotri. Gangotri glaciers (4238.6 m) starts trom Chaukhamba cluster of snowpeak and extends upto Gaumukh which is connected by a track trom Gangotri. Whether one believes in these legends or not, the properties of Ganga water are well known all over the world. The water of Ganga contains no impurities and remains uncontaminated even after being kept over several years. Scientists attribute this to secretion of herbs, geologists to its mineral content and the Hindus to its holiness.

Kedarnath
Kedarnath Temple, Char Dham Yaatra
Kedarnath

The magnificent temple of Kedarnath (3581 m) one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is dedicated to Sadashiva, a form of Lord Shiva, is situated in Garhwal Himalayas (Rudraprayag district). While huge statue of Nandi stands in the court yard, the images of Pandavas and Droupadi are skillfully carved on the wall of the temple. There are number of 'Kund' in Kedarnath Peeth. Shiv Kund is the prominent one. Rudhir Kund is known because of water being of red colour. 'Purandar Parvat' divides the area around Kedamath temple which are known as 'Narayan Kshetra' and 'Sakambhari Kshetra'. Some other places of pilgrimage are Tungnath, Rudranath and Kalpnath. The whole Kedamath valley (2 km x 1/2 km) is surrounded by snow covered peaks from three sides and it lends a unique setting to this divine place. Mandakini glaciers and Gandhi Sarovars are only few kilometers away from Kedamath.

According to legends, the shrine of Kedamath was built by Pandavas after Mahabharat war. The present temple was built in 8th century AD by Adi Shankaracharya. It is believed that Sadashiv escaped from the clutches of Pandavas and took refuge here in the from of buffalo and finding himself hard pressed dived into the ground and left certain parts of his body at four other places along the Himalayan ranges i.e. the arms (Bahu) at Tungnath, the face (Mukh) at Rudranath, the belly (Nabhi) at Mad Maheshwar and the hair (lata) and head at Kalpeshwar. Together with Kedamath all these temples are called 'Panchkedar' and are worshipped by Hindu devotees during their pilgrimage.

Badrinath
Badrinath Temple
Badrinath

Badrinath is one the four sacred shrines (Dham) of pilgrimage for Hindus. The other three places are Dwarka in the West, Rameshwaram in South and Puri in the East. The holy temple of Badrinath, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is siuated on the right bank of Vishnuganga in the middle of two mountain ranges called Nar and Narayan, rising east and west respectively. The place was known as Badrivan during Puranic times because it was found carpeted by wild Berries or 'Badri' and thus Badrivan. The temple was constructed and renovated by Shankaracharya some time in 8th century during his pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedamath after he had established 'Jyotirdham' in Joshimath. There is a 'Tapt Kund' with hot water which has to be mixed with cold water before taking bath. Narada Kund, Surya Kund, Basudhara, Mata Murti and Charan Paduka are the other holy places of attraction for the large numDer of pilgrims who visit Badrinath every year. About 8 kms from Badrinath in the west, there is a group of snow peak called Choukhamba with height up to 6700 m. There is another peak called Neelkantha about 9 km. south west of Badrinath.

The temple of Badrinath is visited by about six lakh pilgrims every year. There is a plan to make a village complex for the pilgrims at an estimated cost of rupees one crore. Presently hotel Devlok has been constructed at Badrinath to provide board and lodging facilities to pilgrims.

Panch Badris
Lord Badrinath ji is worshipped at five different places under five different names. These are as follows:

Badri Vishal : Main shrine of Lord Badrinath ji is known as 'Badrinath' .

Bhavishya Badri : (2744 m). The place in 19 km away from 10shimath which is suppose to be an alternative seat of Lord Badrinath ji if for some u~own reason 'Badrinath' shrine disappears. An image. of god 'Narsing' is kept here which is worshipped by the devotees coming from TapovanDhauliganga side Pilgrims have to trek for 6 km to reach the shrine.

Yogdhyan Badri : (1920 m). 23 km short of Badrinath shrine located at Pandukeshwar. It is here that king Pandu is believed to have meditated after their victory over 'Kaurvas' and before leaving for his heavenly abode.

Vridha Badri : (1380 m). This is the first holy place of Lord Badrinath ji located at Adimath. Adimath is 8 km short of Joshimath approachable by motorable road. Before Badrinath was designated one of the four 'Dhams' of Hindus by Adi-Shankaracharaya, the idol of Badrinath ji was woshipped here. Vridha Badri remains open throughout the year.

Adi-Badri : Adi-Badri is 19 km away trom Karanprayag on ChaukuthiaRanikhet road where a group of 16 temples dating back to Gupta age are in existance. These temples were made with the idol of lord Vishnu to spread Hinduism to every remote comer in the country by Adi-Shankaracharya.