Mandi Shivaratri Fair
Encyclopedia
Mandi Shivaratri Fair is an annual fair that is held for 7 days starting with the Hindu festival of Shivaratri
, in the Mandi town (31.72°N 76.92°E) of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh
. The Mandi Shivaratri fair is held as per Hindu calendar
every year on the Krishna paksha
13th day/13th night (breaking fast/'vrata' on 14th after sunrise) of the waning moon in the month of Phalguna
that corresponds to February/March as per Gregorian calendar
. The festival’s popularity is widespread and hence is known as an international festival. In view of the large number of gods and goddesses that are invited to the festival from its 81 temples, Mandi town has the title of 'Varanasi of the Hills'. During 2010, the festival will be celebrated from 12 February (Shivaratri day) for seven days till 19 February 2010.
The Mandi festival or fair is particularly famous as the special fair transforms Mandi town into a venue of grand celebration when all gods and goddesses, said to be more than 200 deities of the Mandi district
assemble here, starting with the day of Shivaratri. Mandi town located on the banks of the Beas River
, popularly known as the "cathedral of temples", is one of the oldest towns of Himachal Pradesh with about 81 temples of different gods and goddesses in its periphery. There are several legends linked to the celebration of this event. The festival is centred around the protector deity of Mandi "Mado Rai" (Lord Vishnu) and Lord Shiva of the Bhootnath temple in Mandi.
in the sixteenth century, since he not only combined the hereditary regions but also added to it by conquering new areas. Apart from his palace, he built the temple of Bhootnath (temple for Shiva) at the centre of the Mandi town, which is one of the two focal temples of the festival.
In the theocratic state that evolved during this period, worship of Shiva and related goddesses was dominant. However, the theocratic nature of the state received special emphasis when, during Raja Suraj Sen’s reign, Vishnu worship also became integral to the State. Raja Suraj Sen (1664 to 1679), who did not have an heir, built the temple known as “Madhav Rai temple”, dedicated to a form of Lord Vishnu, as protector of Mandi. An elegant silver image of Radha
and Krishna
was made by his goldsmith Bhima, in the year 1705, which was named "Madho Rai" and deified, and ordained as the King of the State of Mandi thereafter. Since then the rulers served the state as servants of Madho Rai and custodians of the State. Suraj Sen’s successors have also held the deity of the temple in great reverence. This god is represented with precedence over all other gods on various religious occasions. The theocratic nature of the people of the state is amply reflected during the popular "Mandi Shivratri Fair", which is held every year with great fanfare.
However, the specific observance of this festival as a fair, starting with Shivaratri, is linked to its ruler Ishwari Sen. Ishawri Sen was held 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 invaders who had invaded the Kangra and Mandi states. Afterwards, the Gurkhas' restored the Mandi state to Ishwari Sen. He was given a reception on the occasion of his return to Mandi, his state capital. On this occasion, the King invited all hill deities of the Kingdom and held a grand celebration, and this day happened to be the Shivratri festival day. Since then the practice of holding the Mandi fair during Shivaratri has been observed every year at Mandi. In recent years, modernity has also set in with Bollywood
artists performing at the fair at Paddal in the celebrations in the evenings.
s (chariots by people) to Mandi to pay homage to Madho Rai and the Raja. Members of caste denominations such as Brahmin
and Kshatriya
carry their gods and goddesses by palanquins or on their back. However, some exceptions of carrying them in vehicles by some caste groups have been noted. Thereafter, the fair lasts for seven days.
It is an accepted practice that every deity that is brought to the festival (decorated with glittering embroidered drapery) visits Madho Rai temple first to pay obeisance to Lord Vishnu and then proceed to the palace in a colourful procession called the Shoba Yatra, known locally as 'Zareb,' to honour the ruler (the regent of the Lord Mado Rai). (It is said that Madho Rai comes out of his temple only once a year on the Shivaratri day and leads the procession.). The ruler thereafter pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at the Bhootnath temple where the main festival of Shivaratri is held. The palanquins of the deities are swayed to the drum beats and folk music to indicate their happiness after visiting the temples of Vishnu and Shiva.
There is pecking order that is maintained in the sequence of worship by the deities invited to the fair, based on rank and status. The day after the Shivaratri, on the second day of the fair, a pageant of gods with folk bands, dancers and devotees (all dressed in their colourful attire) and with lot of fanfare, is held in Paddal, a large open ground at the confluence of the Beas and Suketi rivers. Some 200 deities arrive from shrines around Mandi town and are assigned places at the Paddal grounds as per the pecking order, where the devotees offer worship to all the deities. The pageant is held every day of the festival.
The fair is also an occasion when local traders and people carry out brisk trade in local products such as wool, opium, honey, walnut, ghee (butter oil), and general merchandise from the region of Kangra, Kullu
, Shimla
, Bilaspur
and from the neighbouring state of Punjab
. It is said that the festivities promote handcrafted jewellery of the region. However, during the entire Mandi Shivaratri Fair, religiosity is the main theme. It is said that religious synthesis was achieved by combining the worship of Vishnu and Shiva cults during the seven-day fair.
One day before the concluding day of the festival at the end of fanfare, music and dance, in the evening, Jagaran ("night vigil," a nightlong worship) is held. On this occasion, a guru and his disciple proclaim prophesies for the following year. On the last day of the festivities, prayers are chanted and, after paying obeisance to Lord Shiva, all the deities assembled in Mandi depart to their original abodes. On this occasion, chadars (a form of devotional drapery offering to the god) are offered. It is an occasion when the head of the state (now a governor) is normally present on the last day, joins the worship, and accompanies the pageant. During all these festivities, it is said that Rishi Kamru Nag (local god of rains), the presiding deity of the Maha Shivaratri, after paying his obeisance to Madho Rai, moves to the Tarna ma temple at the top of the Tarna hill from where he watches the proceedings of the fair for seven days.
Bhootnath Temple
Bhootnath Temple, with an idol of a manifestation of god Shiva, an ancient temple dated to the 1520s, is synonymous with Mandi. It is in the heart of the town. The Nandi, Shiva's mount, faces the deity from the ornamented double-arched entrance. The festival of Shivaratri is the prime event at this temple; the temple is the focal point of the seven day festival.
A legend is told of the building of Bhoothnath Temple. It is said that, in 1526, Raja Ajber Sen heard the story of a cow offering milk on her own volition to a particular stone in a forest in Mandi. Lord Shiva is said to have appeared in the Raja’s dream and directed him to extricate the Shiva Linga that was buried at that site. Thereafter, the Raja found the Shiva Linga at the indicated location, which he deified in a temple that he erected in 1526, at the place it was found. He called it the "Bhootnath Temple" and started the observance of the Shivaratri festival at Mandi. Concurrent with this event, the Raja shifted his capital from Bhiuli to Mandi.
, Chandigarh
, Pathankot
and Delhi
. The nearest railway stations are Joginder Nagar and Shimla by narrow gauge train. It is connected to Chandigarh and Kalka
by broad gauge
line of the Indian Railways
.
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
, in the Mandi town (31.72°N 76.92°E) of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
. The Mandi Shivaratri fair is held as per Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
every year on the Krishna paksha
Paksha
Paksha , is a fortnight in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Literally meaning side or period, that is either side of the Full Moon Day or Purnima...
13th day/13th night (breaking fast/'vrata' on 14th after sunrise) of the waning moon in the month of Phalguna
Phalguna
Phalguna is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phaalgun is the twelfth month of the year, beginning on 20 February and ending on 21 March .In lunar religious calendars, Phaalgun may begin on either the new moon or the full moon...
that corresponds to February/March as per Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
. The festival’s popularity is widespread and hence is known as an international festival. In view of the large number of gods and goddesses that are invited to the festival from its 81 temples, Mandi town has the title of 'Varanasi of the Hills'. During 2010, the festival will be celebrated from 12 February (Shivaratri day) for seven days till 19 February 2010.
The Mandi festival or fair is particularly famous as the special fair transforms Mandi town into a venue of grand celebration when all gods and goddesses, said to be more than 200 deities of the Mandi district
Mandi district
Mandi district is one of the central districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. Mandi town is the headquarters of Mandi district Mandi. The town has both mythological and historical significance and boasts of a unique temple architecture...
assemble here, starting with the day of Shivaratri. Mandi town located on the banks of the Beas River
Beas River
The Beas River is a river in the northern part of India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab....
, popularly known as the "cathedral of temples", is one of the oldest towns of Himachal Pradesh with about 81 temples of different gods and goddesses in its periphery. There are several legends linked to the celebration of this event. The festival is centred around the protector deity of Mandi "Mado Rai" (Lord Vishnu) and Lord Shiva of the Bhootnath temple in Mandi.
History
Mandi town, where the festival is held, was ruled by Raja Ajbar Sen who was considered the first great ruler of Mandi StateMandi State
Mandi State was a princely state of India before 1947....
in the sixteenth century, since he not only combined the hereditary regions but also added to it by conquering new areas. Apart from his palace, he built the temple of Bhootnath (temple for Shiva) at the centre of the Mandi town, which is one of the two focal temples of the festival.
In the theocratic state that evolved during this period, worship of Shiva and related goddesses was dominant. However, the theocratic nature of the state received special emphasis when, during Raja Suraj Sen’s reign, Vishnu worship also became integral to the State. Raja Suraj Sen (1664 to 1679), who did not have an heir, built the temple known as “Madhav Rai temple”, dedicated to a form of Lord Vishnu, as protector of Mandi. An elegant silver image of Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
was made by his goldsmith Bhima, in the year 1705, which was named "Madho Rai" and deified, and ordained as the King of the State of Mandi thereafter. Since then the rulers served the state as servants of Madho Rai and custodians of the State. Suraj Sen’s successors have also held the deity of the temple in great reverence. This god is represented with precedence over all other gods on various religious occasions. The theocratic nature of the people of the state is amply reflected during the popular "Mandi Shivratri Fair", which is held every year with great fanfare.
However, the specific observance of this festival as a fair, starting with Shivaratri, is linked to its ruler Ishwari Sen. Ishawri Sen was held 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 invaders who had invaded the Kangra and Mandi states. Afterwards, the Gurkhas' restored the Mandi state to Ishwari Sen. He was given a reception on the occasion of his return to Mandi, his state capital. On this occasion, the King invited all hill deities of the Kingdom and held a grand celebration, and this day happened to be the Shivratri festival day. Since then the practice of holding the Mandi fair during Shivaratri has been observed every year at Mandi. In recent years, modernity has also set in with Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
artists performing at the fair at Paddal in the celebrations in the evenings.
Observance
The observance of the fair is marked on the Shivaratri day when the village gods are carried in palanquins or rathaRatha
Ratha is the Indo-Iranian term for the spoked-wheel chariot of Antiquity.It derives from a collective to a Proto-Indo-European word for "wheel" that also resulted in Latin rota and is also known from Germanic, Celtic and Baltic...
s (chariots by people) to Mandi to pay homage to Madho Rai and the Raja. Members of caste denominations such as Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
and Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
carry their gods and goddesses by palanquins or on their back. However, some exceptions of carrying them in vehicles by some caste groups have been noted. Thereafter, the fair lasts for seven days.
It is an accepted practice that every deity that is brought to the festival (decorated with glittering embroidered drapery) visits Madho Rai temple first to pay obeisance to Lord Vishnu and then proceed to the palace in a colourful procession called the Shoba Yatra, known locally as 'Zareb,' to honour the ruler (the regent of the Lord Mado Rai). (It is said that Madho Rai comes out of his temple only once a year on the Shivaratri day and leads the procession.). The ruler thereafter pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at the Bhootnath temple where the main festival of Shivaratri is held. The palanquins of the deities are swayed to the drum beats and folk music to indicate their happiness after visiting the temples of Vishnu and Shiva.
There is pecking order that is maintained in the sequence of worship by the deities invited to the fair, based on rank and status. The day after the Shivaratri, on the second day of the fair, a pageant of gods with folk bands, dancers and devotees (all dressed in their colourful attire) and with lot of fanfare, is held in Paddal, a large open ground at the confluence of the Beas and Suketi rivers. Some 200 deities arrive from shrines around Mandi town and are assigned places at the Paddal grounds as per the pecking order, where the devotees offer worship to all the deities. The pageant is held every day of the festival.
The fair is also an occasion when local traders and people carry out brisk trade in local products such as wool, opium, honey, walnut, ghee (butter oil), and general merchandise from the region of Kangra, Kullu
Kullu
Kullu, once known as Kul-anti-peetha - "the end of the habitable world", is the capital town of the Kullu District, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about ten kilometres north of the airport at Bhuntar.Kullu is a broad open...
, Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Bilaspur
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
and from the neighbouring state of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. It is said that the festivities promote handcrafted jewellery of the region. However, during the entire Mandi Shivaratri Fair, religiosity is the main theme. It is said that religious synthesis was achieved by combining the worship of Vishnu and Shiva cults during the seven-day fair.
One day before the concluding day of the festival at the end of fanfare, music and dance, in the evening, Jagaran ("night vigil," a nightlong worship) is held. On this occasion, a guru and his disciple proclaim prophesies for the following year. On the last day of the festivities, prayers are chanted and, after paying obeisance to Lord Shiva, all the deities assembled in Mandi depart to their original abodes. On this occasion, chadars (a form of devotional drapery offering to the god) are offered. It is an occasion when the head of the state (now a governor) is normally present on the last day, joins the worship, and accompanies the pageant. During all these festivities, it is said that Rishi Kamru Nag (local god of rains), the presiding deity of the Maha Shivaratri, after paying his obeisance to Madho Rai, moves to the Tarna ma temple at the top of the Tarna hill from where he watches the proceedings of the fair for seven days.
Bhootnath Temple
Bhootnath Temple, with an idol of a manifestation of god Shiva, an ancient temple dated to the 1520s, is synonymous with Mandi. It is in the heart of the town. The Nandi, Shiva's mount, faces the deity from the ornamented double-arched entrance. The festival of Shivaratri is the prime event at this temple; the temple is the focal point of the seven day festival.
A legend is told of the building of Bhoothnath Temple. It is said that, in 1526, Raja Ajber Sen heard the story of a cow offering milk on her own volition to a particular stone in a forest in Mandi. Lord Shiva is said to have appeared in the Raja’s dream and directed him to extricate the Shiva Linga that was buried at that site. Thereafter, the Raja found the Shiva Linga at the indicated location, which he deified in a temple that he erected in 1526, at the place it was found. He called it the "Bhootnath Temple" and started the observance of the Shivaratri festival at Mandi. Concurrent with this event, the Raja shifted his capital from Bhiuli to Mandi.
Visitor information
Mandi town is accessible by road from ShimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
, Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. The nearest railway stations are Joginder Nagar and Shimla by narrow gauge train. It is connected to Chandigarh and Kalka
Kalka
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla,...
by broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
line of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.