‘Aathon’ festival celebrated in eastern Kumaon
‘Aathon’ festival celebrated in eastern Kumaon
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Aug 26
‘Aathon’, the ancient festival to remember ‘Gaura’ and ‘Lord Shiva’, was celebrated in eastern part of Kumaon region, today.
The festival witnessed adoration of deities of Lord Shiva and Gaura with locally grown and wet cereals by women folks only and display of ancient musical varieties of Jhoora, Chachari,Thulkhel, in order to adore deity ‘Gaura’, who is considered a daughter of Himalaya, along with Lord Maheshwar.”They are the Lords that existed in Himalayan agrarian society before the mainstream Aryan gods entered in Himalayan society,” said P.D. Pant, a cultural writer based in Soor valley of Pithoragarh.
In eastern Kumaon region, the festival is celebrated in Soor, Sira, Askot regions, in Kali Kumaon it is celebrated in Talla Desh and Tamil regions of Champawat district, in parts of Khatima sub-division of US Nagar and Tanakpur and Banbasa areas of Bhabar region.”In Almora, Nainital and Ranikhet regions, ‘Gaura’ is worshipped as Nanda Devi, a daughter of Himalaya married to Lord Shiva of high Himalayan region,” said Dr Dharmanand Bhatt, a retired professor.
The festival, begins from the fifth day of Hindu calender month of ‘Bhado’, when the village women smear the five main cereals, grown locally, in water in order to soften these to offer the ‘Gaura’ and Lord Maheshwar idols, and concludes on the day of ‘Ashtami’, after the deities are worshiped.”The festival is considered as occasion to get blessings of Goddess Parvati another name of Gaura and Lord Maheshwar or Shiva for agrarian prosperity, good health of children and long life of husbands and children,” said Padma Dutt Pant, a local cultural writer.
“The festival seems to have originated after the agrarian communities settled in Himalayan foothills and started adoring local deities for their well being, as all the offerings to ‘Gaura’ and Maheshwar idols are rituals solmonised on the occasion depicts symptoms of a agrarian society,” said Pant
According to Pant, locally grown five cereals, named ‘Birura’, are offered to the duo and entertainment activities like Hiran, Cheetal, solemnised on the occasion also reflects nature of a well settled agrarian society of Himalayan foothills.
“From last 10 years, we are celebrating the ‘Aathon’ festival at Ramlila committee ground in cooperation with local villagers of Sera, Kharkot, Pitrora, Takana, Pandeygaon ,Takari, Bajeti and Lunthira, attracting large number of people from interior villagers. We organise every event and rituals of ‘Aathon’ festival in it’s original nature,” said Bhupendra Singh Mahra, head of Ramlila committee and organiser of ‘Aathon’ festival at Pithoragarh.
