The two- day Mundeshwar-Khairaling religious festival has concluded with the customary religious rituals performed at the Mahadev temple located on the top of the Mundeshwar under Kaljikhal block of Pauri-district sans a single incidence of animal sacrifice on Wednesday. This is the consecutive seventh year when the religious festival has been held sans animal sacrifice.
Earlier buffalo bulls (locally called Baggi) and goats in their hundreds were sacrificed to propitiate the deities by way of wish fulfillment in Mundeshwar religious mela. However the practice stopped, thanks to the untiring efforts of the district administration, some voluntary organisations and the temple committee. The people of area were motivated through relentless campaigning on the lack of religiousness in slaughtering innocent animals for self- aggrandisement.
Mundeshwar-Khairaling was one of the four important religious festivals known for the practice of animal sacrifice. The ritual was widespread during Bungkhal and Kanda Mela aside from Mundeshwar-Khairaling Mela. While the brutal practice has been stopped during all of them it is still thriving at Kalinga Mela which is held on the border of two districts- Pauri and Almora. Kalinga Mela is held in December every two year. The administration claims that the animal sacrifice during Kalinga Mela has also been stopped. However, the reality tells a different story.
Hundred of devotees, including some from Bengal, visited the temple to pay obeisance to the deities on the auspicious occasion. Sub- divisional magistrate K S Negi and C O Police D S Tomar said that the revenue and regular police had been deputed in the mela area to maintain peace. Several departments pitched stalls in the mela premises. It is pertinent to mention that the Mundeshwar-Khairaling religious festival started with the installation of Nishan (flag) carried out by the villagers of Dhamelee of Aswalsyun Patti in the temple.