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Every year a special festival Hiljatra is celebrated in Pithoragarh. In which a ghost is worshipped. Yes, you are hearing it right, in the quiet valleys of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, there lives a ghost who can wreak havoc if he gets angry even by mistake. Every year the people of Pithoragarh celebrate a special festival to please it and in that festival this ghost is called and worshipped amidst the beats of drums. But which is that festival where this ghost comes every year? Why do the people of Pithoragarh worship it?
What is Hiljatra Festival?
Hiljatra means a game which is played in mud. But it is not just a drama festival but it is also a symbol of the lifestyle of the rural society of Uttarakhand. Where the life of agriculture and shepherds is shown in a dramatic form. As the festival progresses, this festival becomes even more charming with the live depiction of a pair of buffaloes, a ploughman, and regional deities.
It is said that a king of Nepal, pleased with the four Mahar brothers of Pithoragarh, gifted them this Hiljatra. Along with this, he also gifted them wooden masks and ploughs. All the four brothers brought them to their village Kumaud. This is where this special tradition of Hiljatra started in Uttarakhand. It is still celebrated here with full devotion and enthusiasm. Let us tell you that in Nepal it is known as Indra Jaat.
On the day of Hiljatra, the event of Pithoragarh is worth seeing
On the day of Hiljatra, the event of Pithoragarh is worth seeing. With the first ray of the sun, the impersonators start decorating their wooden masks. After noon, the village head, carrying red flags and banners along with drums, circumambulates the house of the old Mahar wholesalers and then the Hiljatra festival, a live depiction of rural life, begins in the grounds of Kumaud.
First come the men and women sweeping the field, then fishermen smoking hookah-chilam, and then comes a pair of magnificent bulls, followed by the ploughman moving towards his fields. After this come the stubborn bulls and women planting paddy, hunters, sadhus, Ghasyari cutting grass, and men and women dancing dressed in colorful costumes.
Know who is Lakhia Bhoot and why is he worshipped?
Suddenly the loud sound of Dhol-Damaun reverberates in the field of Kumaud and it seems as if the earth is trembling. When people look around, they see a scary figure tied with thick iron chains dancing and jumping in the dusty field and this is Lakhia Bhoot. But you will be surprised to know that no one is afraid of this ghost.
Rather, as soon as Lakhia Bhoot arrives, people start cheering for him. People worship him by offering rice and flowers and wish for a good harvest as well as happiness and prosperity. Actually Lakhia Bhoot is worshipped here as Veerbhadra, a Gan of Shiva. This is the same Veerbhadra who once cut the neck of Daksh Prajapati.
The local people believe that Lakhia Bhoot protects their crops and fills their area with happiness and prosperity. That is why people worship Lakhia Bhoot every year and Lakhia Bhoot also comes every year and blesses the people with prosperity and promises to return again next year.
