Hadimba Mela- A surprise birthday party in Manali!

Where did Rabet Ram used to go every afternoon? The entire day he would greet the guests with a pure warm smile on his face, show them around the guesthouse, chat with them while serving breakfast and entertain them with amusing folk stories of his village. Right after lunch, when most of the guests are either gone for a nap or out and the whole guesthouse is sleepy and silent- that’s when Rabet Ram disappears mysteriously and is not seen until late evening. On the third day, after a delicious breakfast we stealthily asked Ranjo, his beautiful daughter in law about Rabet Ram’s secret disappearances. While playing with her three months old baby Hrishita on the front lawn she replied without interrupting her game, “why, to the Dungri Mela! All the Gods and Goddesses come there. Today is the last day. You should go!” Should we go? Wow, we got our answer alright but it came with quite a few more questions! Our curiosity now reached to a point where we couldn’t think of anything but to find out what this is all about. Waiting till afternoon looked like hell of a task.

We spent the day asking the locals about the Dungri mela Ranjo mentioned and how to get there. They all described the ‘mela’ in their own possible ways. A few common words almost everyone used were, “Hadimba Devi’s birthday”, “Gods and Goddeses come”, “all the neighbourhood villages”. We now had some basic knowledge and decided to find out the rest ourselves. Apparently the “Dungri mela” goes on for three days- May 14-May 16. We started our venture at about 3.30 pm and trekked towards the Hadimba Temple.

The 1.5 kilometres trek amidst the pine forests with occasional views of the Himalayan peaks was a delight. Every now and then there were groups of young girls and boys dressed in their best outfits were passing us by with a visible excitement and cheer on their faces. Following their route we finally reached the historic temple which looked quite different from what we’ve seen in the past. There were musical instruments around being polished and clearly prepared for the event. Past the temple there were shops on both sides of the entrance of a huge ground or more like an open amphitheatre. People of all age groups were shopping, eating, cheering around. All of a sudden we had entered a completely different world filled with a festive ambience.

Just at the end of the ground there was the real “Mela” or the fair which had all sorts of food stalls, games, toy stalls and most interestingly a huge giant wheel. We all have seen and ridden giant wheels in our lives, so what makes this one so special? Well we wouldn’t know unless we actually rode it and saw the entire Himalayan range sitting at the top! One side of the wheel was almost on the edge of the cliff and no other ride anywhere could give the thrill we felt sitting on that. It was spine-chilling and beautiful beyond words from up there! 

After all the fair- feasts and fun, it was about time for the real event. We followed the people (that’s the best way to know more about whatever was going on!) and picked a seat on the amphitheatre. The announcements were fading out and the music started gradually. A group of men and boys all dressed up in typical Himachali attire were singing and dancing to the tunes of the pipes forming a big circle. Another group entered the ground holding a huge palanquin with large idols of Gods and Goddesses. The dancing, singing and playing of instruments continued until the idols were taken outside the ground. This whole procession was full of music, life and vibrancy. Just when we thought this was over, there came another group of people holding another palanquin, singing a different tune and dressed in different colours of clothes with different head bands. 
 
And they followed the same pattern of procession. At the end of the procession, they joined the circle for dancing and singing. This continued for a couple of hours and the circle became bigger and bigger. Every time there were more colours added and the level of zeal enhanced. Each group of men signified a village that brought their Gods and Goddesses at one ground and together they all celebrated the festival. By the end of it, the entire ground was like an ocean of colours bouncing with spirit and passion. And somewhere in between the crowd we suddenly found a familiar face smiling warmly at us. And there stood the hero of our suspense story who also is the president of this society! Rabet Ram was behind all the arrangements and a smooth implementation of the entire event. We thanked him a ton for helping us getting great photographs and videos.

We had started this journey as a mere getaway from the metropolitan hustle-bustle and enjoy the serenity of the hills...few quiet and peaceful days in Old Manali. Now our diary is filled with exciting stories. The tranquillity of the Himalayas splashed with the sparkling colours of the Hadimba Devi’s birthday celebrations. The unbelievable fusion of calmness, life, traditions and spirit gave us a fresh perspective to look at the same old things in life.