The famous two-day Mundneshwar Kheraling Mahadev Mela of Kalijikhal block in Pauri district concluded peacefully without any animal sacrifice on the weekend. This is the second consecutive year of this historical fair being held without any animal being slaughtered in the name of religion.
The Pauri District Magistrate Chandra Shekhar Bhatt had instructed sub divisional magistrate to make adequate arrangements to prevent animal sacrifice at the Mundneshwar fair and the administration had erected four barriers to stop anyone taking an animal to the Kheraling Mahadev shrine for slaughter. Due to the cooperation of local villagers, temple committee and the efforts of the local administration, not a single buffalo was slaughtered during this fair. However, five persons were booked by the authorities for creating nuisance during the fair, said the sub divisional magistrate Pl Shah.
The Mundneshwar fair is celebrated every year in the first week ofJune with thousands of people offering their prayers at the Kheraling Mahadev temple here. Devotees from different parts of the district and country especially Bengalis visit this temple to beseech the lord to grant their wishes and then visit the shrine again during the Mundneshwar fair on fulfillment of their wishes. On both days of the religious fair this year, devotees in large numbers reached the temple premises with their flags (Nishan) to the beats of traditional drums and either beseeched the deity to fulfill their wishes or thanked the lord for fulfilling their desire.
It will be recalled that in 2011, the Uttarakhand High Court had ordered that animals be killed only for human consumption and that too in a registered or licensed slaughter house in areas under the purview of urban local bodies. Some years ago MP and People for Animals chairperson Maneka Gandhi, presently the Union Women and Child Development minister, had also visited this area to motivate the villagers to abstain from animal slaughter in the name of religion.