look news india
Mussoorie, June 29 (HS). Uttarakhand's cultural heritage Maun Mela was organized on Saturday in Jaunpur Range near Mussoorie, the queen of mountains. A lot of enthusiasm was seen among the villagers regarding the Maun Mela. The villagers entered the Aglad river here to catch fish.
The villagers reached the river with Dhol-Damaun and Ransingha. After performing puja there, the pilgrims sprinkled Timru powder in the river and jumped in to catch fish. The villagers also performed folk dance to the beat of drums.
According to the tradition, the responsibility of making Timru powder and putting it in the Maun is given to people of different Pattis every year.
This time it was the turn of the villagers of Khairad, Maror, Naingaon, Bhutgaon, Munog, Matali and Kainth to extract Maun or Timur powder in the famous Rajmaun. On this occasion, the villagers also organized a folk dance to the beat of drums.
At the beginning of the monsoon, the Maun Mela is celebrated in the last week of June for fishing in the Aglad river. Maun is mixed in the water of Aglad river from a place called Maunkot. After this, thousands of children, young and old start catching fish along the river stream. This process continues for about four kilometers, which ends at the mouth of the river.
Powder made from Timru bark is poured into the river which makes the fish unconscious for some time. After this they are caught. Thousands of villagers entered the river with their traditional fishing tools. Children, youth and elderly also participated in this. During this time, the villagers catch the fish with their Kundiyada, Fatiyada, net and hands. The fish which are not caught, later come alive in fresh water.
Local people told that hundreds of kilos of fish are caught in the fair which the villagers take home as prasad. They prepare it at home and serve it to the guests. Traditional folk dances are also performed in the fair. Foreign tourists also come to this fair. This is a unique fair of India whose purpose is to protect the river and the environment. Its purpose is to clean the river so that the fish get clean water for breeding.
If we believe the water scientists, they say that Timru powder does not harm the water environment. This makes the fish unconscious for some time. The fish which cannot be caught, later become alive in fresh water. When thousands of people walk in the river stream, the algae and dirt deposited on the bottom of the river gets cleaned and flows in the water and the river looks absolutely clean after the Maun Mela.
This historic fair was inaugurated in 1866 by the then Tehri King. Since then this fair is being organized every year in Jaunpur. The elders of the area say that the Tehri King himself used to come here with his queen. The king's representative used to be present in the Maun fair for security purposes, but after the fall of feudalism, the villagers themselves took up the responsibility of security.
As soon as we mention Jaunpur, Jaunsar and Ranwai areas, a cultural image emerges in our mind. Although the people of these areas are not as serious about following traditions as before, but if we look at the whole of Uttarakhand, traditions are still alive in these areas as compared to other districts. The people of Uttarakhand, who are suffering from migration and unemployment, are now turning towards the plains in search of employment, but the people of Ranwai Jaunpur and Jaunsar Bawar have not forgotten to keep the traditions alive along with the struggle for bread. They are making every possible effort to take the traditions that have reached them through the elders to the next generation.
