Scuffles between the Nainital district police and the devotees, particularly those bent on sacrificing animals as offering to the deity, marred the traditional Nanda Devi Mahotsav in the lake city Nainital on Tuesday.
No untoward incident was reported though. However, apart from taking part in this traditional and religious fair, the participants and visitors got information about various developmental works and popular schemes being implemented thanks to initiatives made by the Nainital district administration on Tuesday.
The Nainital district administration had declared public holiday on the occasion of the Nanda Devi Mahotsav on Tuesday. Except the treasury and banks, all the public and private offices, schools and other institutions remained closed. Meanwhile, the cultural programmes being performed by the folk artists are the main attractions of the annual Nanda Devi Mahotsav. The annual Nanda Devi Mahotsav was celebrated in other parts of the region with traditional fervor and gaiety.
This aside, the Kotbharamari Nandastmi fair, a fusion of both Kumaoni and Garhwali cultures, began in Bageshwar on Tuesday. Chandan Ram Das, MlA from Bageshwar and BS Manral, District Magistrate, Bageshwar, inaugurated the religious fair.