Maha Shivaratri with Gods

Maha Shivaratri is a festival celebrated all across India. While people in some parts of the nation pay their respects to Shiva by fasting, in other areas, devotees flock to temples dedicated to Shiva. We explore Mandi’s seven-day Shivaratri fair and why it is celebrated.

Among the variety of Hindu fasts and days fixed for the worship of a specific god, Maha Shivaratri is one of the most important. Observed across the country, this celebration is more meditative than festive, with people beginning their fast a day prior to the festival, chanting mantras and praying to the venerated Shiva. However, in Mandi, a small town in Himachal Pradesh, jubilation and gaiety manifest in the form of the seven-day Shivaratri Mela.

Most of temples are dedicated to Shiva, with the Trilok Nath Temple, Pachvaktra Temple and the Bhootnath Temple being the most important ones. The Bhootnath Temple is where the centuries-old Shivaratri Mela is held. Historian and Indologist Elisabeth Conzelmann explores the possible origin of the temple and the fair in her 2006 paper, ‘A Royal Ritual of Mandi State’

The event starts on Maha Shivratri and the town dons a festive look for seven days. The town echoes sounds of drum beats and trumpets, which is generally used with deities, when they move out of their temples.

During all these days, local rain god Kamru Nag, the presiding deity of the Maha Shivratri, moves to Tarna Ma temple at the top of the Tarna hill after paying obeisance to Madho Rai on the first day of event, from where he watches the proceedings of the fair for seven days.

This confluence is a fascinating example of how local deities, traditions and lore are often seamlessly enmeshed in Indian cultural celebrations. Around 200 mobile statues of gods and goddesses are carried on ornate palanquins by devotees from distant villages, sometimes travelling for two-three days on foot.

These processions are accompanied with the playing of shehnai (Indian oboe), karnal (long wind instrument), thonkru (a large trumpet) and drums. As they pass through neighbourhoods, people rush to windows and rooftops to witness the dancing palanquins draped in red and orange cloth called chadar. Called jaleb in the local dialect, the processions also include gurs (oracle priests who serve as the voices of the deities) and pujaris (priests)




Once in Mandi, these processions are also taken out locally for three of the seven days of the mela. They begin from the Bhootnath temple at the town centre, and are led by the most important deity of the festival—Madho Rai.

The deities have a significant role to rule their devotees in villages, as people have deep faith on them. During the week-long festival, devotees stay in the town in temporary camps and take active participation in deity culture.Numerous gods and goddesses  graces the small town of Mandi with their presence, creating an atmosphere of joy and festivity.

A Jagran (a nightlong worship) is held a day prior to the concluding day, where a guru and his disciple proclaim prophesies for the following year. On the last day, prayers are chanted and after paying obeisance to Lord Shiva.