NAGNI MATA MELA
Ladori remained gripped in festival fever during June to August when Nagni Mata Melas are held. People from places as far as Chamba, Chowari and other villages of Bhatyat region of Himachal Pradesh, also used to visit Nagni via Ladori regularly.
In those days, it took two to three days' time to reach Nagni on foot with halts at a number of places on the way. During the mela season, hundreds of families consisting of both young and old, clad in their best and colorful regional and traditional attires, walked through 'Hattian'. A lot many used to stay in the Dharamshala situated in the middle of Hattian for an overnight halt to overcome fatigue. Shop keepers and vendors of Ladori, during the mela season had a busy schedule with soaring business.
There used to be hustle and bustle in the village due to number of guests coming to the village during rainy season. While some of them came for enjoying trekking, sight seeing, making fun and frolic and for the purpose of excursion and picnic, others came for paying obeisance at Nagni Mata Shrine on fulfillment of their wishes and yet there were still others who visited Nagni with the intention of selling their wares and shopping for local novelties.
Nagni has always been considered a sacred place as Nagni Goddess has blessed the people of the area with Her permanent abode here in a very beautiful downhill valley of flowers, fruits and springs surrounded by steep vertical heights, which is located on the Pathankot-Dharamsala highway near Bhadwar, about seven kilometers from historic town of Nurpur and at the similar distance from Village Ladori via Bhadwar.
Nagni shrine is famous and revered not only in the region but whole of Himachal Pradesh including North India. It is believed that if a person bitten by a snake is brought to the Nagni shrine immediately, he would find himself fit and fine with the divine powers of Goddess within a weeks' time. There has not so far any instance to mention where any death has occurred after the arrival of a patient at the Nagni Mata's Thaan!
Besides kheel-vatashe, Karah Prashad (Sanctified Halwa) is distributed among the devotees and neighborhood, but unique and rare prashad of 'Mitti' is considered to be more precious possession by all those who believe in the Goddess Nagni. It is believed that prashad of Mitti is meant for applying on the wound created by a snake bite during intermediary period when the patient is being brought to Nagni Mata.
There are altogether eight melas (Baar) at Nagni in the month of July-August, on each Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the country used to visit Nagni Mata throughout the year until recent past.
Present day life style has, however, restricted people from venturing out for events such as melas which were quite dear to everyone in their childhood!
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In those days, it took two to three days' time to reach Nagni on foot with halts at a number of places on the way. During the mela season, hundreds of families consisting of both young and old, clad in their best and colorful regional and traditional attires, walked through 'Hattian'. A lot many used to stay in the Dharamshala situated in the middle of Hattian for an overnight halt to overcome fatigue. Shop keepers and vendors of Ladori, during the mela season had a busy schedule with soaring business.
There used to be hustle and bustle in the village due to number of guests coming to the village during rainy season. While some of them came for enjoying trekking, sight seeing, making fun and frolic and for the purpose of excursion and picnic, others came for paying obeisance at Nagni Mata Shrine on fulfillment of their wishes and yet there were still others who visited Nagni with the intention of selling their wares and shopping for local novelties.
Nagni has always been considered a sacred place as Nagni Goddess has blessed the people of the area with Her permanent abode here in a very beautiful downhill valley of flowers, fruits and springs surrounded by steep vertical heights, which is located on the Pathankot-Dharamsala highway near Bhadwar, about seven kilometers from historic town of Nurpur and at the similar distance from Village Ladori via Bhadwar.
Nagni shrine is famous and revered not only in the region but whole of Himachal Pradesh including North India. It is believed that if a person bitten by a snake is brought to the Nagni shrine immediately, he would find himself fit and fine with the divine powers of Goddess within a weeks' time. There has not so far any instance to mention where any death has occurred after the arrival of a patient at the Nagni Mata's Thaan!
Besides kheel-vatashe, Karah Prashad (Sanctified Halwa) is distributed among the devotees and neighborhood, but unique and rare prashad of 'Mitti' is considered to be more precious possession by all those who believe in the Goddess Nagni. It is believed that prashad of Mitti is meant for applying on the wound created by a snake bite during intermediary period when the patient is being brought to Nagni Mata.
There are altogether eight melas (Baar) at Nagni in the month of July-August, on each Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the country used to visit Nagni Mata throughout the year until recent past.
Present day life style has, however, restricted people from venturing out for events such as melas which were quite dear to everyone in their childhood!
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