The Uttarakhand region is world famous for its natural beauty. At the same time, the cultural features of the folk life here also make it special. Different parts of the culture, such as food, costumes, dialect, and folk festivals, have special importance in improving the culture of folk life. Teej are important parts of folk life. Through these, a glimpse of the people’s social lives and cultural consciousness is provided, giving any area a distinct identity. Uttarakhand is considered to be such a place. When people from different regions took their steps here, they accepted this area as their own, adopted the culture here easily, and at the same time shared the many cultural heritages they brought with them. This is the reason that along with seeing cultural plurality in the Uttarakhand region, cultural uniqueness is also visible, and that is why the folk culture of the Uttarakhand region is considered rich and distinctive like the folk culture and folk traditions of other provinces.

Through this article, an attempt has been made to highlight the importance of Deepawali, the festival of Jyoti, along with the description of various types of Deepawali festivals celebrated in the Uttarakhand region. So that the coming generations can understand the heritage of the rich folk culture of Uttarakhand in the right way and assimilate it into their lives, and this national festival (a major Hindu festival) and other folk festivals and traditions can be preserved forever.

Deepavali festival in Uttarakhand region

Like other regions in Uttarakhand, Deepawali is celebrated in the month of Kartik. If we talk about the importance of Deepawali, which is celebrated on the new moon day of Kartik month, then it is seen as a tradition celebrating the return of Rama to Ayodhya after the victory over Ravana. But in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, there is a different form of devotion in Deepawali, which is portrayed through the Aipan art here. In some areas of Kumaon, on the day of Deepawali, drummers roam around in groups asking for bhailo (a Diwali donation). Along with this, he also sings an interesting song. in which the donor is condemned and the one who gives more is praised. Dev Singh Pokharia has written the lines of the song in his book, The Various Dimensions of Folk Culture.

Budhi Deepawali of Uttarakhand

As is well known, Hariprabodhini Ekadashi is the festival of Shri Vishnu’s rise from sleep after four months of Kesheshshaya. According to a legend in the context of this festival, Shri Vishnu defeated Mahabali Shankhasura by fighting with him. But Shri Vishnu ji got so tired in this war that he went to sleep on Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi at Sheshshaiya in Kshir Sagar for four months. After that, when he woke up, it was the date of Kartik Shukla Ekadashi. This is why both Ekadashi are regarded as extremely important in Hinduism. In Kumaon, Hariprabodhini Ekadashi is celebrated as Budhi Diwali. Here it is also necessary to know the fact that, according to folk belief, the three forms of Diwali are linked to the three stages of Shri Lakshmi ji. Whereas the form of childhood is regarded as a small Diwali made on Kojagar Purnmasi. So the same Diwali that comes on Kartik Amavasya, which is celebrated by all the people, is celebrated as Badi Diwali because it shows the youthful form of Lakshmi Ji. The third stage of old age is celebrated as Budhi Diwali on the day of Kartik Shukla Ekadashi. On this day in Kumaon, there is a special tradition of inviting Lord Vishnu to their homes after he wakes up from his sleep. For this, the regional people put sugarcane poles outside on the roofs of their houses. It is a belief that Lord Vishnu’s feet should not fall on the ground, and he should enter his homes with the help of sugarcane feet. In Kumaon, on this day, soupa aipan is made in families of some class, like Shah, etc. Aipan is the Alpana art of Kumaon, in which various artefacts and shapes are created. This is called writing an essay. The wife of Seth Jagdish Lal of Almora town, Mrs. Sandari Gangola, has been very active regarding Aipan; she has done many special works based on Aipan, including writing wedding invitation cards with Aipan and making many women proficient in this art. He had elaborated on Supa Aipan in an interview in 2014. In which he said that on the day of Dev Uthani Ekadashi i.e. Budhi Diwali, especially in the inner part of the chhaj (soup), the symbol images of Shri Lakshmi Narayan are engraved. where the feet of Lakshmi Narayan are carved inside for good luck.

Importance of Budhi Diwali

Economics importance
Climate and geography

Akashdeep-

Starting from the full moon of the month of Ashwin until the full moon of the month of Kartik, it is lit in some areas of Uttarakhand. This is also a kind of festival of lights. The local people hang it high outside their houses and burn it before four o’clock in the morning. The thing to note here is that it is lit before the sun rises. It is lit twice a day, in the morning and evening. It is lit for happiness and prosperity. To light the sky lamp, a frame of four sticks is made. It is covered with a red cloth by putting a wooden lid on top and bottom. Then a garland of flowers is put in it. After that, a lamp is lit on a wooden stick. There is a tradition of lighting the sky lamp from the full moon of the month of Ashwin to the full moon of the month of Kartik. The method of celebrating Diwali in various forms is also seen in the Garhwal region. It is made here under various names. Iga’s festival, Budhi Diwali, Manghir Bagwell, Raj Diwali, and so on.

National importance of Egas festival-

“National Festival of Deepawali” In Garhwal, it is called Budhi Diwali. It is mainly made throughout the Himalayan regions. For this reason, this Diwali is also called Pahari Diwali. Many stories are prevalent behind the reasons for believing this. in which the most famous is the story of Madhon Singh Bhandari. According to this, Madho Singh Bhandari was a brave Bhad. He goes to fight the battle of Tibet. And for this reason, the residents of his area took a vow not to celebrate Diwali because of his going to war. After this, when he returned victorious from the war, the people of his entire region celebrated Diwali with great pomp to welcome him. Madho Singh Bhandari is very famous in the entire Garhwal region for his bravery. When Madho Singh went to war, his people wept and wrote a folk song in which it was said that twelve Deepawalis and sixteen Shradhs came and returned, but Madho you did not. The pulses and rice were left crushed for the dishes, but Madho, you did not come. In the name of old Diwali, many areas of Uttarakhand celebrate Kartik Krishna Amavasya, a month after Maidan Diwali, by lighting torches of pine bark (bark) and decorating them like flower bushes. They celebrate by exploding fireworks. On Kartik Pournami, it was organised in the form of Sut Krida in Kumaon. Another story is also prevalent about celebrating Iga in Garhwal. where it is believed that four of the Pandavas returned home after exile. But Bhima returned home after eleven days due to being involved in a war. Since then, Diwali has been celebrated as a symbol of his joy at returning home. Diwali made in the Chamoli region of Garhwal is called Kansi (junior) Bagwal. On this day, Bhailo is played with Bhimal wood. which is played like a sparkler. Urad pakoras are specially made on this day.

Mangashirsha Diwali-

In Garhwal Mandal Kerwai, Jaunpur, Budhakedar, Dharasu, Dunda, Uttarkashi, Barkot, Semmukhi, etc., it is named Kangseer Bagwal because it is celebrated in the month of Margashirsha, exactly one month after Maidan Diwali. It is also called Rikhabagwal. In Jaunsar-Babur, it is celebrated as “Desai-Parva.” This Diwali is also celebrated in the region of Himachal, from Ponta to Silai, and Rohdu Chopal across the Tons River (Laga from Tamsa). According to eminent journalist Manoj Ishtwal, Neds Anokhi Diwali lasts for weeks. But in reality, its form is five days. Jishpisha festival is celebrated on the first day, Randyada on the second day, Aunsayani Badi Diwali on the third day, Birudi and Kaidlu Kali ki Jatra on the fourth day, and Jandhoi festival on the fifth day. Except for the Jishpisha and Randyada festivals, torches are brought out to celebrate the night of Ounce (Amavasya) by tying Gunji grass and other types of grass in a pine branch. Along with this, the festival of lights is marked by Tandi dance (folk dance), with Harul singing folk songs to the beat of Dhol Damau. The lyrics of the folk song are like this: “In the last two days of this festival of five days, the Sayana (main person) of the village makes a wooden deer and an elephant and dances sitting on them.” A major attraction here is the performance of khelutes (a type of theatre). They create different forms, wear masks, and make people laugh. On the day of Birudi, the women of the house make chiwadas of new paddy. The new moon day is called “Diyai” barrage, and on this day Dibasa (a big tree brought from the forest) is buried in the middle of the village. Torches are made from pine and bhimal wood that has been stripped of its bark. During this festival, especially in Jaunsar, greenery is sown in the houses. which is not cut on the lamp’s day Another noteworthy aspect of this festival is that people bring Bhirudi (walnut seeds) from their homes and throw them near Dibsa. Later, these Bhirudis are happily taken to their homes as an offering to the deity. so that the blessings of the deity remain with them forever. On this day in Jaunsar-Babar, seeda, arse, and puri-pakodas are also made.

Diwali of Uttarakhand-

Tehri Diwali, Raj-Bagwal is the shape it takes. Apart from this, it is also known as Administrative Deepawali. It is said as the reason for this that, during the period of Tehri’s princely state, the king’s thokdars and jagirdars specially came to Tehri to celebrate this Bagwal. On this day, they used to meet the king with their pattis and thokas and present Tilak Dastur to the king. They used to present the best things from their areas to the king on that day. Natural sources such as heaps of gold particles, milk, curd, various types of grains, and so on were deposited in the form of gifts to the king. The king used to thank them by adding food to their gift. This used to be the form of Nazrana. It is necessary to point out one more thing here: that the king always used to increase something from his side and return it to the wholesalers and jagirdars. Apart from this, at the time of Raj Diwali, all the wholesalers and jagirdars used to deposit the revenue of their respective areas in the government treasury. which used to be recorded in their ledger. This was called bondage. because all of them were given special jagirs and spits by the Raj. This is the reason that once a year, all these wholesalers and jagirdars used to deposit the revenue collected from their respective areas in the government treasury. After that, he went to his homes to perform Lakshmi Puja. It is a tradition to always worship Lakshmi in our homes; hence, it is celebrated before Diwali. So the transaction offering is already done. A title was also given to the people who collected the revenue received by the wholesalers and jagirdars and made their receipts. which was called Likhwar. Later, it became famous as a caste among both Brahmins and Rajputs. On the day of Raj Diwali, a sweet is specially prepared in Tehri State. which is served in malu leaves; for this milk is thickened, and then dry fruits and saffron are added to it and it is cooked. Then sweet is added to it and it is hotly wrapped in a malu leaf. This sweet is called “Singari.” It was specially made by the royal family for all the guests, wholesalers, jagirdars, etc.

Conclusion

In this way, different forms of Diwali are seen in Uttarakhand. Along with this, various reasons for celebrating them and their importance are also seen. Today, it is necessary that we save our folk festivals and celebrate them in their original form so that these festivals can be transferred to the coming generations in their original form. Along with this, the coming generations can also beautify themselves with the fragrance of folk culture, folk tradition, and folk festivals in their soil. It is everyone’s responsibility to develop the tradition of Uttarakhand’s rich folk festivals as a great heritage. Today, it is necessary that information about such folk festivals be shared with the maximum number of people. So that even though he lived in a remote area, he could feel his connection to his soil.If such people spread more information about the festivals and the ways of celebrating them to other people, then they will continue to expand in an easy and simple way. Otherwise, such folk festivals, like many other folk festivals and dialects, will vanish from history which is not true for the folk culture of any region or country.
We have to try to run an awareness campaign about folk culture and folk festivals, especially in colleges, institutions, etc., so that their cultural and social importance can be explained. so that the younger generation becomes conscious of the need for conservation and promotion by incorporating it into their lifestyle Only then will the cultural heritage of Uttarakhand get its rightful place.

Article By -: Team Kalyan Institute

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