Where to travel
In Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India, a colorful cultural adventure awaits believers and / or keen culture observers. Mandi, located on the Beas River, is the venue for annual International Shivratri Fair, which starts on the day of Maha Shivratri, the night of Lord Shiva. This year Shivratri will be celebrated on 20th February.
What to do & see
Mandi Shivratri Fair
The fair is organized in the month of Phalguna as per Hindu calendar. Phalguna, the last month of the calendar, falls in February-March of the Gregorian calendar.
The 8-day long fair begins with a procession from the Madho Rai Temple to Bhutnath Temple to Padal Maidan, a plain ground between the Suketi and Beas rivers. Deities from several nearby villages participate in the fair every year. However, deities are welcomed as per their rank and status. Each deity arrives in a small colorful procession consisting of folk musicians and devotees. Deities dressed in bold bright colors cover distance from the village to Mandi in traditional palanquins or ‘raths.’ These small colorful processions are a common sight in the town during fair and worth capturing on reel.
Cultural programs, featuring folk and non-folk performances focusing on Lord Shiva, are also hosted almost daily. On the last but one day, Chela and Guru predict happenings for the New Year and puja is organized for whole night.
The Madho Rai Temple is dedicated to Murlidhar, the flute player, an incarnation of Lord Krishna. Madho Rai, the ruling deity of Mandi receives the chhari (mace) of Kamaru Naga from the oracle. Kamaru, the principal rain-bestowing deity, sends His mace instead of participating in the fair. Nagas or Narains are revered as cloud, rain and weather gods across Himachal Pradesh.
The Bhutnath Temple in the heart of Mandi is dedicated to the Lord of Cosmos, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, the guardian of the town. The stone temple in Sikhara style comprises a sanctum, porch and sabha mandap. The garbh-griha (sanctum) has a lingam and naga devta idol. Fluted pillars of the porch are decorated with elephant-shaped capitals. In the past, residents of Mandi offered water collected from the Beas to the lingam to invoke the lord of rain during dry spells to avoid draught. They covered the distance between the riverbank and the temple barefoot. This tradition continues, but it lacks enthusiasm and vigor of the past.
When to go
February
How to reach
Mandi is about 480 km from the national capital Delhi. Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) offers bus service between these towns. The bus fare ranges from INR 387.00 (US$7.81, €5.99, £4.96) to 875.00 (US$17.67, €13.53, £11.23) per person. You can choose from ordinary, semi deluxe, deluxe, air-conditioned (AC) and Volvo buses. Buy bus tickets online.
Joginder Nagar railway station is about 50 km from Mandi town. You can board the Kangra Toy Train to cover 163-km journey between Joginder Nagar and Pathankot. This narrow gauge track winds through scenic landscape. However, advance-booking service is not available for the train. You can browse the toy train schedule online.
A number of trains connect Delhi and Pathankot. For instance, Dhauladhar Express runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Second AC class fare amounts to INR 772.00 (US$15.59, €11.94, £9.90) per person for this journey of 496 km, whereas the Sleeper class ticket costs INR 212.00 (US$4.28, €3.28, £2.72) per person.
Kullu Manali Airport (Bhuntar) is 60 km from Mandi town. You can catch an Air India flight from Delhi (DEL) to Bhuntar (KUU) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The air ticket starts from INR 3,985.00 per person (US$80.45, €61.63, £51.12). Book your air ticket.
Accommodation
You can stay in a traditional hotel, heritage hotel and / or home stay in Mandi. Home stays are very economical with tariff ranging from INR 150.00 (US$3.03, €2.32, £1.92) to 600.00 (US$12.11, €9.28, £7.70) per room.
Rajmahal Palace, a heritage hotel with modern facilities, offers standard air-conditioned (AC) rooms, suites and deluxe rooms. Tariff varies from INR 990.00 (US$19.99, €15.31, £12.70) to 2,800.00 (US$56.53, €43.31, £35.92) exclusive of taxes. Book luxury accommodation now.
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