| Parshuram did
not stay with his parents. Instead he wanted to go for penance somewhere in Badrinath.
Before leaving, he promised to visit his parents once a year. Renuka fair is held to
commemorate Parshuram's visit to his mother. On the 10th day of the bright half of the
month Kartika (November) the idol of Parshurarn, seated in a well decorated palanquin, is
taken out in procession which treks the path of some eight kilometers from village Jamu to
the site of the lake Renuka. The two deities held as
embodiments of the Lord Parshuram, from villages Kattah and Masu, also join the
procession, which is attended by hill orchestra. A few folk dancers dressed in long garb
with loose sleeves add to the gaiety of theprocession as they dance to the accompaniment
of the folk music. On the Ilth day i.e. Ekadashi, the son stays with his mother and
on the 12th afternoon he takes leave for Jamu with a promise to visit next year."+
The Minjar fair has different legends.
"The week-long festivities of the colorful Minjar fair of Chamba start on the second
Sunday of Shrawan (August). When was Minjar first celebrated is not known but the present
form of the fair is attributed to Raja Shahil Verma who ruled the State in the 10th
century.
+ The Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas by K. L.
Vaidya, (National, 1977), page 34-35. |
