The historic Garud Chhad fair concluded at the Badagaon in Chamoli. As part of a tradition believed to be centuries old, this fair is held in Badagaon once every two years. The fair is organised in the courtyard of the village’s guardian deity Bhumyal Devta. Villagers with traditional masks begin the fair with their performance. The first to come is the mask of lord Ganesha after which performances involve the masks of lord Ram, Seeta and lakshman to the beats of dhol damau . Glimpses of the traditional Indo-Tibet trade are also depicted in the fair. The climax of the fair involves representations of lord Krishna and Garud being lowered on a rope tied overhead to a point about a kilometre above the fair site. It is believed that a boy is born in the family of the first villager to touch Garud. This villager also gets to take the lord to his home and worship him there for two days. After this the deity is installed in the temple. This fair is famous as it is believed that so far a boy has been born in the family of every person who first touched Garud at the fair.
