Religion imbues faith. Customs keep that faith alive. It is this enduring energy that transcends time and manifests itself in the many festivals that people celebrate with unchanged enthusiasm through generations.
As India gets ready to observe the popular occasion of Raksha Bandhan, communities around Devidhura in Champawat bring to a start, the historic, strange and world-famous fair of stone- pelting held on this day each year. Rituals for the popular ‘Bagwal Mela’ begin on Thursday with traditional worship of the local deity by seven chosen senior priests and leaders of the clans who will participate in the time-honoured battle on the day of Rakhi.
Speaker of Uttarakhand legislative Assembly, Govind Singh Kunjwal will be inaugurating this year's celebrations."Tradition has it that as soon as Pooranmashi Bhadra ends, the auspicious moment is calculated astrologically and the festival is inaugurated with an elaborate Puja (prayer ceremony). leaders of the Khams (groups) fighting in Bagwal Mela are required to observe certain specific rituals strictly from the day of this worship till the day of the battle i.e Rakhi.
This year, the invocation ceremony will be held around 8.30 a.m on August 7. It is a big occasion as this fair has a very high place in the sentiments of people of this region.
As per tradition, after offering prayers to the local deity, the 'dola' (tableau) will be consecrated and hoisted for the villagers to see," shared Acharya Shastri of the Barahi Devi Temple Committee in a telephonic conversation with The Pioneer. The inaugural event will also see a decision by the clan leaders on whether this year too they will take a shift from century old traditions and hurl fruit and flowers at each other instead of stones. After the grand worship at which thousands of villagers are expected, the clan leaders or their nominated representatives will return to their homes and observe strictly four days of rituals to return to the temple on Sunday for the unusual stone-fight. While many places in India have their own local variations of the way Raksha Bandhan is celebrated, none perhaps is as distinct and bizarre as the Bagwal Mela of Kumaon. For those yet to witness this remarkable affair, in the idyllic hamlet of Devidhura near lohaghat, at the confluence of Almora, Pithoragarh and Nainital, is perched the ancient Barahi Devi temple.
lakhs of devotees congregate here as women tie Rakhis to their brothers and men change their sacred threads called janeyus. However, the most striking feature of these celebrations is the historic stone-pelting. Commanding prodigious following in the region, this shrine has attracted world-wide attention for its very unusual 'Bagwal' - an age-old religious custom in which four clans defending themselves with large wooden shields throw stones at each other to please Barahi Devi (the local deity) until as much blood as blood in a man's body is shed by the various fighters.
The event is held amid flamboyant costumes, music and folk dances as lakhs of devotees gather to the temple compound. It is informed that not a single life has been lost in this historic fight, a blessing of God as the locals vouch.