The three-week-long Nanda Devi Raj Jat (नंदा देवी राज जात) is a pilgrimage and festival of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
.
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The Raj-Jaat is celebrated in
Chamoli Garhwal district, and traditionally only the deities of
Garhwal Division
Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian s ...
took part in it. Sometimes, during the peaceful periods between the Kingdoms of
Garhwal and
Kumaun, the Goddess "Nanda of Almora" was invited and took part in the Raj-Jaat, while mostly there were separate Nanda-Sunanda fairs in Kumaun. Off late, after the formation of Uttarakhand, the state Government has been trying bring the people from Garhwal and Kumaun together for celebrations and fairs. Hence, in the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat held in the year 2000, the goddess "Almora ki Nanda" took part after 90 years and a number of other deities from Kumaun accompanied her. To facilitate this change, even the traditional route of the Yatra was tweaked and an additional stop with a detour was added, i.e. Nanadakesri. It is at this point, that the deities and devotees from Kumaon assimilate with the main Jaat. Now people from the entire
Garhwal division
Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian s ...
-
Kumaon division
Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounded ...
, as well as other parts of India and the world participate in Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra
Although goddess Nanda Devi is worshipped at dozens of places in Garhwal, as well as Kumaun, but the region around
Mt. Nanda Devi and its sanctuary, which falls in the
Chamoli Garhwal district, is the prime area related to Nanda Devi. In Chamoli Garhwal, Nanda Devi Raj Jaat is organized once in 12 years. The Jaat (meaning Yatra or pilgrimage) starts from Nauti village near
Karnprayag and goes up to the heights of
Roopkund
Roopkund (locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeleton Lake) is a high altitude glacial lake in the Uttarakhand state of India. It lies in the lap of Trishul massif. Located in the Himalayas, the area around the lake is uninhabited and is roughl ...
and
Homkund with a four horned sheep (called Chausingya-Meda in Garhwali). After the Havan-Yagna is done, the sheep is freed with decorated ornaments, food and clothing, and other offerings.
An annual Nanda Jaat is also celebrated called as lok jaat. The Jaat procession goes through villages, where there is a recognized Nanda Devi temple. At Koti, a night halt of the participants takes place where a night-long worship and celebrations take place.
Due to the heavy rain and cloudburst in June 2013 in Uttarakhand, which led to major loss of life and property and caused massive destruction to the region, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra from 29 scheduled to take place in August 2013 was postponed to the year 2014.
Nanda Devi's worship in Garhwal and the history of the Raj-Jaat
Initially when the Raj-Jaat started in the a small Hamlet of
Chamoli Garhwal, it was a much smaller affair compared to the scale of today's events. The main families associated with the Raj-Jaat are the royal family of Kansua (Kansua ka Kunwar) and the
Nautiyal Nautiyal is an Indian ( Sarola Brahmin) toponymic surname from Nauti, a village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Notable persons with this name include:
* Anil Nautiyal, Indian politician
* Asha Nautiyal (born 1969), Indian politician
*Jubin ...
s of
Nauti village, otherwise known as Gurujis as only they had the right to be the Royal priests and advisers. The eleven remaining clans of
Barathogi-Baman (Nautiyals being one of them) got associated quickly after that.
Barathogi-Baman are the twelve chief (
Thokdar) Brahmin families from their twelve native villages. When more help was required to manage the crowd and the activities, neighbouring clans from Rawat and Negi communities were engaged and they too got associated with the Raj-Jaat.
The whole Yatra signifies the journey of the newly wed Nanda Devi (Gora is also used very commonly and interchangeably), leaving her maternal home and going to Kailash. Officially, as per the traditions, the goddess visits her maternal family after every twelve years, and then after weeks of celebrations she goes back to Kailash. So as per the local Garhwali customs, everyone visits her before she leaves, and she is presented with lots of gifts. A number of deities from neighbouring areas pay her a visit, and she visits a number of temples too. The last temple of the last village that the goddess visits is dedicated to her Dharam-Bhai (brother by the virtue of duty), called Laatu-Devta. The whole area which is covered during the yatra is divided in two parts, the initial one being the Mait (Maternal Home or Mother's house) and the later half being Sauraas (In-Laws house or Husband's home). The people of the Mait region tend to get very emotional during this Yatra, as if sending off their own daughter to her Sauraas.
This Raj jat yatra originates from Nauti village 25 km from
Karnprayag, in Karnprayag tahsil of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Kunwar of village Kansua inaugurates the ceremony, however the main priest of Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra remains the Nautiyals originated from Nauti Village, near to Kansua. The legend of this yatra is Nanda Devi, who is consort of Lord Shiva left her village and went to the
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India, after Kangchenjunga, and the highest located entirely within the country (Kangchenjunga is on the border of India and Nepal). It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world.
Nanda Devi was consid ...
parbat. Therefore, when the yatra starts, heavy rain occurs as if the devi is crying. This yatra covers many villages and in the way, the Devi meets her sister in the Bhagwati village.
This journey is a difficult one because of the difficult terrain it goes through. During the journey, one passes by a Lake known as
Roopkund
Roopkund (locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeleton Lake) is a high altitude glacial lake in the Uttarakhand state of India. It lies in the lap of Trishul massif. Located in the Himalayas, the area around the lake is uninhabited and is roughl ...
surrounded by hundreds of ancient skeletons. According to local mythology, once a King took some dancers to this sacred spot. Due to heavy snowfall, the people were trapped and the dancers were transformed into skeletons and stones that can be seen in Patarnachonia. Another myth is this that king Yasodhwal's wife was pregnant and while she was giving birth to her child, her placenta flowed down to
Roopkund
Roopkund (locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeleton Lake) is a high altitude glacial lake in the Uttarakhand state of India. It lies in the lap of Trishul massif. Located in the Himalayas, the area around the lake is uninhabited and is roughl ...
and this in turn caused the death of the people there.
Nanda Devi's Worship in Kumaun
In Kumaun, Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi are worshipped together as twin goddesses. The twin peaks of the
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India, after Kangchenjunga, and the highest located entirely within the country (Kangchenjunga is on the border of India and Nepal). It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world.
Nanda Devi was consid ...
and
Sunanda Devi
Nanda Devi East ( deva, नंदा देवी पूर्व), locally known as Sunanda Devi, is the lower of the two adjacent peaks of the highest mountain in Uttarakhand and second highest mountain in India; Nanda Devi is its higher twin ...
Mountain are said to be the abode of the two goddesses. These graceful peaks are visible from most of the
Kumaon Division
Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounded ...
.
During the period of Chand kings, Nanda Devi worship took the shape of a fair. Prior to that, Nanda Devi was being worshipped, but at that time only an idol of Nanda Devi used to be worshipped. The custom to make two idols started from the period of Baj Bahadur Chand. Even today, only one idol is prepared in the remote villages. The reason for this addition appears to be because the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda together took birth as princesses in the royal family and to mark this new reincarnation, the practice of celebrating a festival for both sisters together was introduced in which a story from their life is enacted.
celebrations
/ref>
Though in the Johar Valley
Johar Valley (also known as ''Milam Valley'' or ''Gori Ganga Valley'') is a valley located in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India, along the Gori Ganga river. The valley used to be a major trade route with Tibet. The best known village ...
region, there is no tradition of Nanda Raj Jaat but the worship, dance and the ritual of collecting Bramhakamal (it is called Kaul Kamphu) is part of Nanda festivals. The Nanda Devi fair is held at Almora, Nainital, Kot (Dangoli), Ranikhet
Ranikhet ( Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, nearby Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home for the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and is maintained by the In ...
, Bhowali
Bhowali ( Kumaoni: ''Bhoāli'') is a town and a municipal board in Nainital District in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is situated at a distance of from the city of Nainital, the district headquarters; at an average elevation of from sea l ...
, Kichha
Kichha is oldest tehseel of Udham Singh Nagar district. It is older than Rudrapur city. It has its own municipal board, located in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, India.
Geography
Kichha is located at . The town has an average elevatio ...
and also in the far flung villages of Lohar (like Milam and Martoli) and Pindar valleys (like Wachham and Khati). In the villages of the Pinder valley, people celebrate the Nanda Devi Jaat (journey) every year, while in Lohar people come from far and wide to Danadhar, Suring, Milam and Martoli in order to worship the Goddess. In Nainital
Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...
and Almora, thousands take part in the procession carrying the dola (or palanquin) of Nanda Devi. It is said that the Nanda Devi fairs started in Kumaon during the reign of the King Kalyan Chand in the 16th century. A three-day fair is held at Kot Ki Mai or Kot Bhramari Devi. The fair at Saneti comes every second year. Both these fairs are rich in folk expressions, and many village products are brought for sale.
Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra 2014
The Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra 2014 started from 18 August 2014 and went up to 6 September 2014. The Yatra's total distance covered approximately 290 km. The 230 km distance was covered by foot or by trekking route and the rest 60 km was covered by the bus transport. Before the present Yatra of Nanda Raj Jat Yatra, the trip was held in the year 2000, and it is one of the biggest trips of Uttarakhand. The Main things of Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra is the distance covered on foot. So it is considered a very holy Trip. Many Tourists from various parts of India and from abroad have come to join the holy Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra.
Transportation
* By air: To attend Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, one has to first reach Chamoli
Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, ...
. The closest airport is Jolly Grant Airport
Dehradun Airport , also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is a domestic airport serving Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, India, located 25 km south of the city. Commercial operations began on 30 March 2008, after a runway extension to accommo ...
, 221 kilometers away.
* By rail: The closest railway station is located at Rishikesh.
* By road: Chamoli is connected with Haridwar
Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.
The city is situated on the righ ...
, Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
, Nainital
Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...
, Rishikesh, and Almora
Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...
.
* Lodging: There are many small towns and villages (namely: Kulsari, Tharali, Deval, Mundoli, Lohajung pass) those offer stay during Raj Jat Yatra. Tharali is the biggest town among these. It is a tehsil headquarters. During Raj Jat Yatra, district administration of Chamoli also provides tents to tourists after a certain location (usually on higher altitude location after village Wan).
Books
* Aitken, Bill. (reprinted 1994). The Nanda Devi Affair, Penguin Books India.
*Alter, Stephen - Becoming A Mountain.
References
External links
Nanda Devi Temple at Almora
Nanda Devi Raj Jat Video 2014, sample video
{{coord missing, Uttarakhand
Festivals in Uttarakhand
Culture of Uttarakhand