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While the festival of masks, depicting agricultural characters of bygone era, is also celebrated in other villages of Soor valley during the festival of \u201cAathon-Saton\u201d in this month. Kumaur is only village where \u201cLakhiya Bhoot\u201d is worshiped as part of Lord Shiva order ” We consider \u201cLakhiya Bhoot\u201d as an incarnation of angry form of Lord Shiva, who sent him to \u2018Yagna\u2019 of \u2018Daksha Prajapati\u2019 to destroy the \u2018Yagna\u2019 after the Lord’s better half Sati sacrificed herself in the \u2018Yagna\u2019 fire since she could not tolerate the humiliation of her husband-Lord Shiva. ” The goddess had sacrificed herself wishing to have Lord Shiva as her husband\u00a0 in her next incarnation as well.” said Kundal Singh Mahar.<\/p>\n
The celebration started with adoration of masks, specially made for the occasion with family priest in the morning.” After worshiping masks of \u2018Lakhia Bhoot\u2019, \u2018Birbhadra\u2019 and other 25 characters in the morning, the villagers gather at traditional court of village in the afternoon and \u201cLakhia Bhoot \u201cis awaken by singing his brave deeds and his might by traditional singers.” When the angry \u201cLakhiya Bhoot\u201d embodies someone, he is taken to large gathering of devotees where he blesses the\u00a0 devotees,” said Yashwant Singh Mahar,\u00a0 a journalist and resident of the Kumaur village.<\/p>\n
The scholars and cultural historians of Soor valley, relate the origin of festival with \u201cIndra Jatra\u201d, which is celebrated for eight days in Kathmandu valley of Nepal by local Mewer community.” There is only difference between two festivals, while heaven king \u2018Indra\u2019 is adored by Mewar community to get blessings \u00a0of good rains during Kharif crop, here \u201cLakhiya Bhoot\u2019, an incarnation of Lord Shiva is adored to get blessings of good crop, health and prosperity by the locals,” said P.D. Pant, a local cultural historian of Soor valley.<\/p>\n
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Annual \u2018Hill Jatra\u2019, a festival of masks held in Soor valley of Pithoragarh B.D.Kasniyal Pithoragarh, Aug 24 Thousands witnessed the unique\u00a0annual cultural event of \u201cHill Jatra,\u201d a festival of masks, celebrated in Kumaur village of Soor valley of Pithoragarh district today.The villagers are of the opinion that the festival is being celebrated in the village …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,33,91,39,59],"tags":[655,656,659,657,658,102],"class_list":["post-2325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-national","category-tourism","category-uttarakhand","tag-hill-jatra","tag-a-festival-of-masks","tag-cultural-festival-of-kumoan-region","tag-kumaur-village","tag-soor-valley-of-pithoragarh","tag-uttarakhand"],"yoast_head":"\n