New Delhi: In the 91st episode of his monthly radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while referring to the fairs organized across the country, said that fairs have had cultural significance in our country. Fairs connect both the people and the mind. He said that he has received a letter from a listener of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Ashish Behl from Himachal Pradesh. In his letter, he has mentioned about the ‘Minjar fair’ of Chamba. Minjar is called maize flowers. Minjar fair is also celebrated when Minjar comes to Makkah. Tourists from all over the country come from far and wide to participate in this fair. Incidentally, Minjar fair is also going on at this time. If you have gone to visit Himachal, then you can go to Chamba to see this fair.
The Prime Minister said that in Himachal Pradesh, when the Kharif crops are ripe after the rains, Sairi (Fair) or Saar (Fair) is also celebrated in Shimla, Mandi, Kullu and Solan in September. Jagra is also going to come in September itself. In Jagra fairs, Bisu songs are sung invoking Mahasu Devta. This awakening of Mahasu Devta takes place in Shimla, Kinnaur and Sirmaur in Himachal as well as in Uttarakhand. He said that the four-day Samakka-Saralamma Jatara Mela at Medaram in Telangana is worth seeing. This fair is called the Maha Kumbh of Telangana. This fair is celebrated in honor of two tribal female heroines – Samakka and Saralamma. It is a big center of faith not only for Telangana but also for the Koya tribal community of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Referring to Andhra Pradesh, the Prime Minister said – Maridamma’s fair is also a big fair related to the beliefs of the tribal society. The Maridamma fair runs from Jyeshtha Amavasya to Ashadha Amavasya. The tribal society here associates it with Shakti worship. Here, there is also the Maridamma temple at Peddhapuram in East Godavari. Similarly, the people of Garasiya tribe in Rajasthan organize ‘Siyawa ka Mela’ or ‘Mankhan Ro Mela’ on Vaishakh Shukla Chaturdashi
