Devout throng Chandrabhaga to cleanse themselves

Jhalawar, Nov 9: It was a festive atmosphere as thousands of pilgrims congregated here on the full moon night on 'Kartik Purnima' to take a holy dip in the waters of Chandrabhaga river, which is believed to purify the faithful.

The Chandrabhaga festival is celebrated in the month of Kartik in the erstwhile princely state of Jhalawar in south-eastern Rajasthan.

Blending religion with commerce, a large cattle fair next in size to that of Pushkar, was also held on the banks of the Chandrabhaga river on the occasion earlier this week. The livestock include cows, buffaloes, camels and bullocks.

The traders who miss out on the Pushkar festival or are not able to strike a deal make up at this festival. Traders from as far as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh were here to buy and sell cattle.

The origins of the festival date from the time of King Chandrasen, who suffering from leprosy, came to Jhalawar which was then a thick jungle with a small freshwater pond in its midst. Here the king started propiating Lord Shiva to cure him of his affliction, on 'Kartik Purnima'.

One day a pig came and jumped into the pond. The droplets of water which fell on the king cured him. He then took a holy dip in the water of the pond and named it Chandrabhaga.

Even today people from all accross the country come to this place to take a holy dip in the Chandrabhaga river with the belief that the holy water would purify them.

The women of the region fast for one whole month for the well-being of their family. On the last day of the fast, the women offer prayers at the Chandrabhaga temple, which dates back to sixth to tenth century. The temple is devoted to Lord Shiv. The women then perform 'Deep Daan' where they float lamps in the holy Chandrabhaga river. This ceremony takes place a day before 'kartik purnima'.

The temple stands on beautifully carved pillars which are the best examples of the earliest temple architecture of Rajasthan.

The three-day festival, an annual affair, showcases the age-old culture and traditions of the region.

Renowned sitar maestro Ravi Shankar grew up in Jhalawar after his family moved here from Bengal. His father was the Prime Minister of Jhalawar and his brother, the celebrated dancer Uday Shankar also lived here for a long time. Uday Shankar formerly used to dance at the Natyashala in Jhalawar before European dancer Anna Pavlova discovered him and put him into the international arena.

Despite the festival being world famous, it still does not attract as many tourists as the Pushkar festval. Keeping this in mind, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) has built a tourist lounge in Jhalawar.

The place offers a choice to the tourists of living in the hut or the deluxe 'Swiss' tents. The tents have also been provided with all the facilities.

However, accessibility to the place still remains a concern. The condition of the roads is very poor, though work is on to improve them by next year in order to enhance tourist inflow.

UNI