The weeklong famous Shivratri festival began on Monday with traditional Jaleb (Shobhayatra) in which hundreds of deities carried on shoulders of devotees dancing on drum beats marched from Madho Rai temple to Paddal ground Mandi as a large number of people gathered on both sides of the Shobhayatra path to watch this colourful procession and seek blessings of the deities.
The festival has special significance this year as the Mandi Shivratri festival is completing 500 years of its celebration.
More than 200 hundred deities, their kardars and devloos (devotees accompanying the deities) and musicians are participating in the festival who will camp in the town for a week till the closing ceremony of the festival on February 22. And thousands of devotees, dressed in traditional attire, participated in the grand procession from the temple to the Paddal ground, dancing with the deities on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh was the Chief Guest in the opening function who participated in the traditional first Jaleb after paying obeisance at Bhootnath temple , and Madho Rai temples . He also visited Tarna Mata temple to seek blessing of Bada Dev Kamrunag principal deity in the Shivratri festival.
The presiding deity of Mandi district Lord Madho Rai was carried in a palanquin in the procession.
Addressing a gathering at Paddal ground, the Deputy CM said, “Mandi’s five-hundred-year history symbolizes its rich heritage, and the International Mahashivratri Festival is not just a festival but a symbol of divine culture, folk faith, and collective identity”.
He said that former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s international recognition of the Mandi Shivratri and Kullu Dussehra fairs elevated these fairs to the global stage, and today they have become a cultural icon of Himachal.
On this occasion, he said that discontinuing the revenue deficit grant and GST compensation is not appropriate and is contrary to the federal structure. He urged the Prime Minister to intervene and restore Himachal’s rights and assured that no one’s salary, pension, or OPS would be stopped, and that development work would continue.
He also released a special logo commemorating the 500th anniversary of Mandi, inaugurated exhibitions by various departments, and released a souvenir from the festival committee.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of the Fair Organizing Committee, Apoorva Devgan, in his welcome address said, “It is the first time this year, special Dev Sthals (earmarked places for deities) have been created for in the pagoda style, so that the dignity of the Dev tradition can be displayed well; besides adding several new features to the festival.”
MLA Chandershekhar Sharma, former ministers Thakur Kaul Singh, Rangeela Ram Rao, and Prakash Chaudhary, former CPS Sohan Lal Thakur among other dignitaries also participated in the Shobhayatra.
The Chief Minister , who generally is the Chief Guest in the opening ceremony of Shivratri festival, could not participate due to the opening session of budget session of HP Vidhan Sabha on Monday at Shimla.
