Devi Devta, Tradition & Culture of Himachal Pradesh

Folklore | Dev Bhoomi Himachal Pradesh | Devi Devta of Himachal Pradesh | Manali | Himachal Pradesh | Temples of Himachal Pradesh | Tradition & Culture of Himalayas | Books & Stories | Hinduism

Myself in the Himachali head gear gifted by a family from Narkanda

I shifted to Himachal Pradesh in May 2022 and only recently got a chance to immerse myself in the whole Devi Devta belief, prevailing especially in the valley of Kullu, where I now live. With 95% of Hindu population, this region is rightly called as Dev Bhoomi. Hinduism, as I understand, is a form of nature worshipping and now a congregation of publicly revered - Devi & Devtas, which, are a symbolic representation of mountain peaks, prominent natural elements & phenomena, yogis and rishis of the region and some direct interpretations from the Hindu Mythology.

It has happened so, many a times especially during the spring and the onset of winters, our staff, local village women, disappear without an apology or a blink of regret while we sit in utter frustration and dismay. On returning they would describe with great enthusiasm about the eclectic night before, where they served a huge army of people who have taken upon themselves to walk around the Gods in their ‘Palkis’. Not sure whether you have witnessed a procession as such, as it’s quite an upbeat one. A sea of locals cover the roads and drum along from village to village, stopping by at houses to dust their tiredness off with food and rest. Amongst the crowd, people take turns to carry a Palki, with an idol of Devi/ Devta sitting atop, covered in gold & silver, laces and frills, brocades and silks. The Palkis are moved up and down, side to side and around, symbolizing that the Devis/ Devtas are dancing and are happy. On such a gesture, the crowd cheers and dances along with all energy. Men & women, bunk work, leave homes and come on the streets to greet the procession and join in the excitement. The Gods and Goddesses choose to travel like this and leave their homes before spring, wishing for a good harvest. They again head out when the winters start. They come to inaugurate and commence. They visit temples and shrines of other Gods and religious relevance. They are the ones who make Kullu Dushera a world famous gathering.

Devi Devta procession at Kullu during Dushera

Coming back to the point, I, a non-believer of superstitions with a bent towards spirituality, often question their practice of relying on what the Devi Devtas say via a pundit (I have a certain dislike for them as well), which they would religiously follow irrespective of the outcome. I feel this may have a potential to convert a person into a God fearing one or perhaps a being with an inherent ability to let go and detach?

Local Men & Women at Karjan Bhandhar / Temple

Anyhow, who am I to question centuries old beliefs, I am just a passerby, I thought. Later, as I became a part of this village, it dawned on me, that, to be able to live in harmony, I should rather learn deeper about their customs before I question them.

Since the history of Himachal Pradesh has been documented orally, unlike a written transcript, finding a way to begin my research became a challenge. Though I found a brilliant chance to start, when Rajni Didi, came seeking for a holiday while we had guests filling the brim. After a difficult but successful attempt to dismiss her appeal, I found my first ‘site visit’ by accepting the invite to join her for the evening escapade to Karjan mandir / bhandar followed by dinner at the venue. She was overjoyed as we made plans and with blushing cheeks she explained – “ Bahut Maza Aata hai Didi!”

So, we met at 5, and started to walk down the road. As the chimes and drums grew louder, Rajni didi’s chirpy voice gained back confidence to share the itinerary. “Docha Mocha”, she said, “an avatar of Ma Durga, resides in this village. This time she is happy didi, so our village will be blessed.” I returned a smile and she explained –“The Devi Devtas can leave us with a curse also, if not happy or are in a disagreement with what we did.” “After many years of collective - physical and monetary contribution, the bhandar is ready to host our village functions”. She added, “So, when a bhandar is ready, all the Devis and Devtas from the surrounding villages gather at, in this case, Docha Mocha’s door step to celebrate and purify the place. First, they go to Vashisht Hot Water Springs, in their hierarchical status, to have a bath, then only do they enter the temple themselves. And once they are settled in the middle of the courtyard with ‘do not cross’ ropes surrounding them, people of the village can enter”. “50 lambs have been sacrificed for the occasion Didi! 50! Its going to be mad and I cant wait to get there”. Rajni Didi chose to give me a moment to soak in the information with a big smile and a nod.

Rajni Didi (extreme left) and her friends in the Bhandhar courtyard

The courtyard of the bhandar made in Kath Kuni architecture style, brimmed with people all peeping overheads to get a glimpse of Devta Jhamlu from Manala who was the Chief Guest of the ceremony. I was completely unaware that around 250 families live in this small village. On one side people danced to the up beat, Docha Mocha bhajans by an orchestra called from Kullu, as I was informed. On the other, people queued to pay their respect (monetarily) to the promptly arranged Devis sitting in their respective Palkis. And in the middle people sat, clapping and encouraging the singing and dancing. As I took a video of the kids dancing on one corner of the dance floor, Rajni Didi looked towards me with the same enthusiasm as a travel guide would on finding the right window for trivia to pique interest of the listener. “When we were kids, we used to wait for these processions to pass through the village. For days, we practiced our moves for D-Day. We decided our clothes and bangles. Chirped around with friends in the market to know the procession’s latest location”. Those were the days, she shared, smiling like a child herself, pushing those red cheeks towards her twinkling brown eyes.

Devi Docha Mocha along with other Devis

I looked directly in her eyes and realized, how Bollywood Film stars were to us as kids, these Devis and Devtas are to a mountain kid! There is no logic that would work even if there was abundant thrown at them. These practices are a big part of a Himachali’s lifestyle since their childhood. These were a source of entertainment, togetherness and goodwill, all that a society needed to thrive in arduous weather conditions and topography. This thought took me right back to the book – Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari as the sounds of the orchestra faded in my receptors. At that moment it all made sense. And this society chose to conserve their beliefs in this fast moving, technology driven world. It is debatable, whether for the good or the bad. The present day Pundits have their own ways to keep this in check, whose execution is still conflicting for me. And so is the prevailing caste system which I feel is obsolete.

The crowd then moved towards the diner where vegetarians and non-vegetarians had separate gathering. Rajni Didi sensing my incompetency at walking briskly in a flowing crowd while taking pictures, grabbed my hand and dragged me like anyone would on witnessing sloppy walking against a buzzing current. We sat on the plastic mats in the non vegetarian section where lamb meat curry and running rice (a term I learnt from dhabas in Sikkim) was on the menu followed by tea. We made our way back to the courtyard where Rajni Didi, now joined her friends to enjoy the orchestra and I sat on one of the steps below the temple, to watch people.

Kullu band at Devi Dhocha Mocha's Bhandar

I waved towards the chirping birdies to get Rajni Didis attention after half an hour of experiencing religious village life, to inform that I had a great evening and would return home to feed the cats. She waved back and I started to walk up to the road, which usually by this time is dark and cold.

With hands in my pockets balancing the movements of the tote bag on my shoulder, I asked myself to answer truthfully – What is that one thing i have unwavering belief in? What is my guiding force? What is my discipline? That one thing that I am totally dedicated with devotion for?

I entered home and home smell engulfed my senses. Warm and cozy inside, I unwrapped myself from the muffler and called Gypsy, Chitta for dinner.