Pathron Ka mela

November 15, 2023

The centuries-old annual “Pathron Ka Mela” (stone-pelting fair), a unique festival held a day after Diwali, was celebrated at Dhami, about 30 km from Shimla.
The festival, marked by pelting of stones between two groups of villagers, started in the presence of the former ruler of Dhami known as Halog and lasted for 50 minutes.
- It ended when a person sustained a minor injury which caused bleeding.
As per the tradition, the stone pelting takes place between residents of Halog and Jamog who line up on either side of a circular structure and pelt small stones at each other.
The fair begins when the priest of Narsingh Devta temple walks to the Kali Devi temple accompanied by a team of musicians.
As per traditions, the festival continues till blood starts oozing from the wounds of the injured people. The villagers smear “tilak” of blood on the forehead of goddess Kali.