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Cultural Heritage
Paintings, the art of 'aipan' and other art forms
The Aipan (Alpana) is a popular art form of
Kumaun, and walls, papers and pieces of cloth are decorated by the drawing of
various geometric and
other figures belonging to gods, goddesses and objects of
nature Pichhauras or dupattas are also decorated in this manner. At the
time of Harela
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| Alpana (Aipan) | Photo : Mrigesh Pandey |
there is a tradition of making clay idols (Dikaras).
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The Shaukas use their own and Tibetan knitting art form to decorate
mattresses known as Dans. In these woolen goods we find the
influence
of the Kumaoni and Tibetan styles. Pithoragarh also has
a distinctive style of making different baskets called Doka.
The art of hilljatra mukhotas
(masks) is also worth mentioning.
 Urban Lady in traditional Kumaoni Dress |
 Harela (Yellow leaves) |
 Local Ornaments
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 Lady of Munsyar
Photo : Deep Chauhani |
 Lady in traditional dress |
 Rural Lady
carrying 'Doka' |
Fairs
The fairs of Pithoragarh are not only an expression of the
religious,social and the cultural urges of the people but have also
sustained the folk culture
and have been central to the economic activities of the people. Jauljibi and Thal
fairs are primarily trade fairs. During the navratri fair at
the Mahakali
temple at Gangolihat the devotees turn up in a very large number and thus these fairs are
manifestly religious in nature. The other famous fairs of the
region are :
| Mostamanu fair
held in Aug. - Sept. Kapileshwar fair held on Shivratri. Krishna Janmastami fair held at Kanar Devi fair at Baram in Gori Honkra Devi fair at Birthi Dhanlekh fair at Askot |
 Nanda Devi Festival
- Johar |
The Nandadevi fair
The Nandadevi fair is held at Almora, Nainital,
Kot (Dangoli) and also in the far flung villages of Johar
( like Milam and Martoli). In Johar, people
come from far and wide to Danadhar, Suring, Milam and Martoli in
order to worship the Goddess.
Chhipla Jaat
Chhiplakote is situated in the heart
land of Kali and Gori rivers,south of Panchchuli mountains.The highest point of
this mountain-Najurikund (4497m)
- is the seat of Chhipla Kedar.
The people of 15 - 20 villages of Dharchula and
Gorikhal regions reach Kedardwe and Najurikote every third year on Bhado
Purnmasi. The principal
yatra starts from village Khela near Tawaghat. It goes
through thick forests, rocky lands and Bugyals. People go there
barefoot even in these days.
The dhami burha or bonia (folk priest)
finalizes the dates of the jaat (journey). With
folk drums, bhankaras (metalic pipe instrument) and neja
(the
flag of red cloth pieces collected from all the families
of the villages) the jaat goes to Barmano, which is 6 Km from Khela.
On the second day the
yatris go through a thick oak forest. After crossing Bunga,Garapani, Mangthil gwar,
Ganbhujdhura (the blooming bugyal) comes Brahmkund (18 Km).
Around 100 people can stay at the udiyar (cave) of
Brahmkund. From this point one can have a glimpse
of Chaudans region and the peaks of
W. Nepal. On the third day the route is on the back of Najurikote, which is full of
buggi grass and brahmkamals (Saussurea obvallata). At Kedardwe
pond sacred dips are taken and the worship is performed.
Chaittol : In the village of Aath-gaon
Shilling, Bin, Saatshiling, Chaunser etc., chaittol is
celebrated on the Astami and Nawmi of Chaitra. On this
occasion the deity Deval samet who in fact is a human
medium possessed by the deity, is taken
around in a dola (palanquin). The temples
dedicated to this God are situated in Bin, Chensor, Kasni, Jakhni and
Bharkatia villages. The fair in fact is an extension of a
convention among
the inhabitants of Kumaon, enjoining upon a brother to make to his
sister on endowment, in the month of Chait every year, in cash or kind called
Bhitola or Bhetna in local dialect.
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| Chaittol
Photo: Mrigesh Pandey |
At the beginning and end of Chaittol the
villages assemble, sing in chorus and join hands in
rustic dance to the beat of the drums and hurka in
gay abandon and the whole process of merry-making is called Khel in local
dialect.
The whole paraphernalia of
the chaittol includes Dola (palanquin), Chattra, nissan
(Symbol), golden Janevo (holy thread) ,
morpankh (peacock
feathers), tails of the chanwar gay (cow), silver
Dhagula (bracelets), Chunni, traditional costumes including jhagula
(frock) for dhami, the cover over
the chatra and a length of rope. With the
brush made of the tail of chanwar cow the deity
exorcises evil spirits and the rope is used to raise
and lower the dola when carried through the difficult mountainous terrains.
The deity Deval samet, i.e. the possessed medium,
is danced in the
mode of Tandava Nritya in 22 villages.
Kandali : In the Chaudans region of
Pithoragarh district, a flower - Kandali (Strobilenthes
wallichii) - blooms once every 12 years (last in 1999 and
next in 2011) and the people celebrate Kandali
festival between the months of August and October.
In the week long festival the local people -
Shaukas or the Rangs - participate with gaiety enthusiasm
in different villages of the region. Some stories are
associated with this festival,
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| Kandali Festival Photo : Mrigesh Pandey |
associated with this festival, which express the marital tradition of the Shaukas.
In the first story, it is said that by tasting the poisonous flower
of
the Kandali the only son of a widow died. In
the second story, this flower is the symbol of famine and
poverty. According to the third and most
popular story, the region was once attacked while the menfolk were away for
trade. The brave women repelled the enemy, who hide in the Kandali
bushes, and they attacked the bushes and destroyed the
enemy. The festival commemorates their bravery
and the women therefore destroy
the plant ceremonially to remind the local people of the incident and to
prevent further mishaps.
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| Worship before commencement of the Kandali Festival |
The festival begins with the worship of a Shiva Linga made
of barley and buck wheat wheat flour mixture. Local liquor
is traditionally used during
this festival. Every household performs it in a decorated corner of the courtyard. People
pray for prosperity. The individual pujas are followed by a
community feast. Then, the women and men, in their traditional dresses and
laden with gold and silver ornaments, assemble around a tree on the
sacred ground of the village. Strips of white cloth are tied to the tree and a flag is
raised.
A procession is formed behind the flag. The
women lead the procession, each armed with a ril
(an implement used in compacting carpet on the
loom) followed by children and men armed with swords and
shields. As they sing and dance their music echoes in the valley. On approaching the
blooms, war like tunes are played and war cries uttered and women
attack the bushes with their rils. The menfolk then come
to their aid, and the
bushes are hacked with swords. They uproot the bushes and
take them back as the spoils of the war. Festivity,
dancing and music continue
throughout the night.
Hilljatra : A festival of pastoralists and
agriculturist hilljatra came to Pithoragarh valley from West Nepal
and at once found fevour in Kumaour and
Bajethi and in its modified form as Hiranchital at Kanalichina and
Askot. It is associated with ropai (paddy transplantation) and
allied agricultural
activities of rainy season. In was introduced in Soar by the Chand king 'Kuru'
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| Hilljatra (A local festival in Pithoragarh) |
and is, in fact, an
elaborate masquerade under the open sky
where in various pastoral and agricultural activities
are represented. The folk
legends based on the victory of traditional deities
over the demon are enacted in
a fantastic masquerade replete with
the chiming
of bells and hymns in the
local dialects supported by loud instrumental music and the
booming dhool nagara (drums).
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| Web site developed at : National Informatics Centre, District Unit,
Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) INDIA Phone : 91-5964-24162, 28017 E-mail : uapit@nic.in |
