Bhavnath Mahadev Fair Worship Lord Shiva

February, 2019 is one of those memorable days of my life that I can't forget throughout my life. I had travelled to the popular Bhavnath Mahadev Fair organized in Junagarh and here I am sharing that experience with you. I had decided to go to Bhavnath Mahadev Fair and also see the Asiatic Lions of Sasan-Gir.

Shivratri Fair, Bhavnath Temple, Junagadh

I hired a private bus from Ahmadabad at night and reached early morning at Junagadh. I stayed put at my friend’s home for 4 days. I was very excited to participate in the fair.

History of the Bhavnath Mahadev Festival

The Bhavnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shiva and Parvati’s garments fell over a pond called Mrigi Kund making it worthy of worship. The Pond is now regarded as an entry point to the Fair as one has to bathe in the Mrigi Kund before going to the Mahashivratri Mahadev Fair. 84 Siddhas or enlightened ones are said to visit the temple and fair in their invisible bodies.

Time of the Bhavnath Mahadev Festival

The Shivratri fair is held for 5 days and held generally during last week of February. This auspiciously celebrated fair in India is somewhat similar to Kumbh Mela and is so called as mini version of that. if you want to participate in the Maha puja of Lord Shiva then visit the temple at the midnight.

I came before 12 am to worship the entire event of the Puja. I saw that as soon as the Puja started, naked saints called Naga Fakirs, living nearby started to move towards the fair seated on elephants with flags and conch shells. They had their customary ornaments on their bodies. As per the Legends, Lord Shiva is said to visit the fair himself. The air became vibrant with chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’. The fair continues for 5 days. I stayed for 3 days and enjoyed the full fair.

Attraction of the Bhavnath Fair

Naga Sadhus are the major attraction of this fair as these saints are different from others and are always found naked. They reside on the mountains throughout the year and leave their place only during the fair. Their sword dance is also one of the key attractions of the fair. Hundreds of Naga Sadhus come down and display their skills in front of people with their fierce sword dance. They roam stark naked all the time without covering their bodies.

Looking at the population of the fair, there must be lakhs of people enjoying the fair. I learnt from my friend that the local administration earns about more than 22 crores in these 5 days of the fair.

The next day, I reached the fair around 10 am as I did not want to miss early morning action. I saw that vendors were busy in selling the local jewellery and handicraft items like idols, rosaries, utensils etc to people. People were enjoying the special deals of the fair on these times. Somewhere, the smell of food was reminding me of the typical Saurashtra sweets and fruits speciality.

I saw various pilgrims who had come walking from long distance for the fair. These people are known to take 7 km long round worship or Parikrama of the holy Mountain of Girnar before they visit the fair.

Before going into the fair, I had to bathe in the Mrigu Kund. Surprisingly, the water was cold in-spite of many people bathing in it. As per the legends, the fair commences with 5 people bathing in the water first who are said to be the 5 Pandavas. They do not come out of the water after taking the dip. They just disappear. I also saw Damodar Kund and Sudarshan Talav. The Kund is associated also with the famous poet Narsinh Mehta, who was the worshipper of Lord Krishna.

It was lunch time and I could see that people were too busy to eat anything. However I learned that the organizers and the administration serve free food and meal to the people throughout the fair period. I went back to my friend’s place for lunch. He had prepared lovely typical Saurashtra food for me.

During the afternoon, I saw some wrestling take place among the Sadhus in a friendly manner. The Sadhus know martial arts and dance very well. During evening, I saw some drama performed by artists called as Bhavai. They are basically performed on streets and go a long way. The famous Junagadh dance was performed at afternoon.

During night time, the city is filled with temple bell sounds from almost every corner. It became a spiritual atmosphere for me.

The fair is strictly known to follow all its action and rituals in a strict and disciplined way as the people believe in traditional customs and beliefs. There were foreign tourists also photographing people and asking questions on the history and people of the city.

Other Junagadh Attractions

Since I had enough time to explore, I also went to see the famous Buddhist caves near Upperkot of Junagadh on the fort and some great Jain temples with the famous Ashoka King’s Inscription. I also went to see the Dattatreya temple of Junagadh. I also went to see the famous palaces of Nawab of Junagadh. Some of them have been converted into hotels now, but still maintain their grandness.

I came back after 2 days, as I had to go back to office. 3 days are not enough to spend in Junagadh.