Tradition does not mean rigidly replaying an archaic world with little justification as shown by villagers in Champawat. These bucolic men have decided to replace stones with fruits and fresh blooms to fight the historic Bagwal fair to be held today (Sunday). Espousing a progressive outlook that aims to harmonise customs with prudence, the four groups (known vernacularly as Khams) to engage in the ceremonial battle wish to honour their local deity at Devidhura, but without risking injury to devotees. Organiser of the Bagwal fair, Barahi Temple Committee has welcomed the change.
It is likely that the famous stone-pelting is permanently done away with, bringing to an end a century-old tradition. And so the ground is ready for the annual battle in the compound of Barahi Devi shrine with over two lakh visitors expected to participate in the unique Kumaoni celebrations of Raksha Bandhan.
Talking to The Pioneer, temple committee office bearer Acharya Shastri shared that the battle would be played for around a quarter of an hour starting at 1 pm after conducting ritualistic prayers.
Asked if the texture and spirit of the religious event had changed over the years, he said, “I have been attending the Bagwal Mela for the last 56 years. I was a child when I even fought the stone-pelting battle. In all these decades, the enthusiasm and faith of people have remained unchanged. However, the profile of the fighters has deteriorated. Earlier, each person participating in it to observe the week-long rituals with the strictest discipline. It was a serious sacred thing and people even changed the clothes that they wore from their homes to don the freshly-washed costumes provided at the temple. But now, men even come in an inebriated state to fight the holy battle. It is common to find people chewing tobacco during the Bagwal and this is really disturbing. We are effective in preventing such moral aberrations only to a limited extent. Duration of the Bagwal has lessened over the years, but the spirit of the devotees who come from far off places is unsullied.”
Shastri on behalf of the temple committee decried the Government for its apathetic attitude towards organising the historical annual festival. “Bagwal Mela is an ancient and one-of-its-kind event that attracts over two lakh devotees from Kumaon, Nepal and other places. However, there are no stay facilities for visitors. Our experience is that a large number of people from India and abroad, including writers, travellers, journalists and devotees long to witness the fair, but they do not come here because they have no place to stay in. We exhaust every possible resource, even opening our homes to guests during Bagwal Mela, but we can hardly accommodate more than a thousand people. Even these get booked for security personnel and local VIPs. But the Government has remained uncaring. It claims that Uttarakhand is the land of Gods selling on ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (Guest is God), but when it comes to taking a step, it turns its back. We have requested state tourism ministry and other senior officers several times to develop the most basic stay-homes or at least makeshift shelters for visitors. But nothing has been done,” he lamented.