Lohri
(13 January)
This festival
heralds the onset of spring and is also known as Makar Sankranti.
The whole region wears a festive look on this day.
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Kud dance
on the eve of a festival |
Thousands
take a dip in the holy rivers. 'Havan Yagnas' light up nearly
every house and temple in Jammu. In the rural areas it is customary
for young boys to go around asking for gifts from newly-weds and
parents of new-borns.
A special
dance called the 'Chajja' is held on the occasion of Lohri.
It makes a striking picture to see boys along with their 'Chajjas'
elaborately decorated with coloured paper and flowers dance on the
street in a procession. The whole atmosphere comes alive with
pulsating drumbeats.
Baisakhi
(April 13 or 14)
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Festival of Baisakhi
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The name
Baisakhi is taken from the first month of the Vikram calendar.
Every year, on the first day of ‘Vaishakh’, the people of Jammu,
like the rest of northern India, celebrate Baisakhi. Also known as
the "harvest festival", it is considered auspicious especially for
marriages. Devotees who take a ritual dip every year, throng the
rivers, canals and ponds. Many people go to the Nagbani temple to
witness the grand New Year celebration.
The occasion
is marked by numerous fairs and people come in thousands to
celebrate the beginning of the New Year and watch the famous
‘Bhangra’ dance of Punjab. For the Sikhs of Jammu, Baisakhi is
the day their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singhji, formed the Khalsa
sect in 1699. The Gurudwaras are full of people who come to listen
to ‘kirtans’, offer prayers and feast on the ‘prasad’ from the
common kitchen (‘langar’).
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Veiw of Jhiri Mela
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Bahu Mela
(March-April &
September-October)
A major
festival is held at the Kali Temple in Bahu Fort, twice a year.
Chaitre
Chaudash
(March-April)
Chaitre
Chaudash is celebrated at Uttar Behni, about 25 kms from Jammu.
Uttar Behni gets its name from the fact that the Devak river
(locally also known as Gupt Ganga) flows here in the northerly
direction.
Purmandal
Mela
(February-March)
Purmandal is
39 kms from Jammu city. On Shivratri, the town wears a festive look
and for three days as people celebrate the marriage of Lord Shiva to
Goddess Parvati. The people of Jammu also come out in their
colourful best to celebrate Shivratri at Peer Khoh, the
Ranbireshwar Temple and the Panjbhaktar Temple.
In fact, if
one visits Jammu during Shivratri, one finds a celebration going on
almost everywhere.
Jhiri Mela
(Oct-Nov.)
An annual
fair is held in the name of Baba Jitu, a simple and honest farmer
who preferred to kill himself rather than submit to the unjust
demands of the local landlord to part with his crop. He killed
himself in the village of Jhiri, 14 kms from Jammu. A legend has
grown around the Baba and his followers congregate at Jhiri on the
appointed day from every corner of North India; they revere him for
his compassion, courage and honesty.
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Navratra festival at Katra
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Navratra Festival
(Sept-Oct)
Though the
yatra to the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is a round-the-year event,
the one undertaken during the Navratras is considered the
most auspicious. In order to showcase and highlight the regional
culture, heritage and traditions of the area during this period, the
State Tourism Department has instituted the Navratra Festival as an
annual event to be held during September / October for all the nine
auspicious days of the Navratras. A large number of tourists pay
their obeisance to the deity during this period. This festival
showcases the religious traditions as well as the popular culture of
the region among the millions of pilgrims who visit the
Vaishnodeviji Shrine during this period.
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