Revel in the warm air of the festivities in Uttarakhand as the 'Land of Gods' welcome you to be a part of its widespread culture and traditions. Over the expanse of the whole land, you will come across a whole new and a diverse number of places, cultures, traditions and amiable festivities. One such Mela/Fair that is organized in the Chakrata Block of Dehradun District is Bissu Mela, celebrated by the Jaunsari tribe of Chakrata Tehsil. The Jaunsari community marks their presence in the Jaunsar - Bawar Region which has its close proximity to Himachal Border. When we look deep into the past events of history we find that the tribe has its origins from the Pandavas of Mahabharat.
The fair is widely celebrated over the period of a week in virtue of a good harvest season in Uttarakhand. As per the Hindu calendar, the Mela ushers amid the Shukla Paksha in the months of Chaitra. The main highlight of the Fair is that the locals from nearby villages and areas like Tehri, Uttarkashi, Saharanpur come together to laud and shower their love and affection on Santoora Devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The Mela is relished in a fun and frolic way by swaying and singing to the energetic and soothing folk music where the effervescent men and women sport flamboyant traditional clothes of their region. Besides the main motive of ritualizing all the festivals is to keep the spirituality, culture, and traditions intact and to forward the same to the coming generation.
Highlights of the Festival
- The Bissu Mela is celebrated by the Jaunsari tribe of Chakrata Tehsil to pay gratitude for a good harvest season.
- Locals and the people from the vicinage come together and pray to the Santoora Devi, the incarnation of divinity Durga and offer her the rhododendron flowers.
- Men and women of the Jaunsari tribe sing and dance on the folk music and dress up in vibrant traditional clothes of their region.
