By Raja Rehber Jamal
Bhaderwah Sep 10 : Three days ancient Ancient Mela Patt in concluded in JK’s Bhaderwah with huge participation
concluded here with thousands of people converging on last day of the festival at Mohalla Khakhal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bhaderwah to witness the annual cultural event depicting rich and unique Nag Culture.
Beside Nag devotees and cultural enthusiasts from different walks of life from across Jamm and Kashmir, the concluding ceremony was attended by Chairman Organizing Committee Advocate Naresh Kumar Gupta, Tehsildar Bhaderwah Kamalpreet Singh and SDPO Wasim Hamdani.
The mela is celebrated every year to commemorate the historic meeting between Emperor Akbar and Raja Nagpal of Bhaderwah in 16th century at Delhi.
The mela, devoted to Lord Vasuki Naag, the presiding deity of Bhaderwah valley, is being celebrated from Nag Panchmi every year.
The mela was organized on the conclusion of the Kailash Yatra and people irrespective of caste, colour and creed participated and witnessed the Mela.
It is pertinent to mention that this Mela was first initiated by Raja Nagpal in 16th century as the ruler of the small principality called the then Bhaderkashi which is now known as Bhaderwah.
Nag devotees have been demanding that the unique cultural event which is a symbol of ancient Nag culture should be given Heritage status and be included in the annual tourism map.
“Despite being centuries old, Nag culture is perhaps the only culture of Jammu and Kashmir which is still being practiced in it’s original form but despite all it’s uniqueness and rich history, tourism department and successive governments never bothered to present it to the outer world to attract tourists,” said locals of the area.
“If clubbed together, Kailash Yatra and Mela Patt can become a major attraction for ancient cultural lovers and history scholars from all over the world as the ancient cultular still remains to be fully explored. Hope government will take some positive steps in immidiate future,” they added.
Meanwhile Chairman Organizing Committee (Dashnan) Advocate Naresh Kumar Gupta expressed his gratitude to all local committees, JK Dharmarth Trust, Administration, Police and organizing committee members for their outstanding support to make this event a mega success.
He said that this more than 600 years old festival is celebrated without any untoward or ugly incident, which clearly shows communal harmony of this area and respect for Raja Nag Pal irrespective of religion.
“We seek blessings of Vasuki Nag Ji Maharaj for the betterment of one and all,” Gupta added, saying that government should make it a heritage destination for ancient culture lovers.
Foolproof security arrangements were made by the local administration to conduct the hassle free program. On the occasion, people were seen dancing on the tunes of ancient traditional folk dance called Dheku which is a regular feature during the Mela.
