Amid large-scale devastation in Uttarakhand due to heavy rain and flash floods that have resulted in the deaths of over 100 people and damage estimated at ₹5,000 crore, devotees have been returning to Nainital’s Mall Road to worship their patron deity, Nanda Devi, at the annual Naina Devi temple fair.
The event has come under scrutiny this year following the Uttarakhand High Court’s order last week, which allowed animal sacrifice during the week-long fair in view of the representation from a local resident.
More than 100 goats have been brought to the festival since then.
Nanda Devi is a manifestation of Goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva, explains Lalit Tiwari, the head of Kumaun University’s Botany Department and spokesperson for Ram Sewak Sabha, the trust that has been organising the fair since 1926.
“Nanda Devi is our patron deity. She is our mother and our protector,” says Mr. Tiwari.
He describes the fair as a “dynamic blend of biodiversity, spirituality and music” and a source of employment for local artisans. The event takes place at Nainital’s famous Naina Devi temple for around a week, starting from ‘ashtami’, the eighth day, of ‘bhadrapad’, a month in the Hindu calendar.
This year, the fair began on August 28. Similar fairs are also held in other parts of the State, but not on the same scale.
“The local artisans use banana trees to craft idols of the goddess, which are decorated with flowers and spices. The idol is subsequently carried around the town on a palanquin, after which it is immersed in water,” the trust spokesperson says.
He adds that the fair attracts people from all walks of life, including those from various castes and communities.
Apart from its culture, food and crafts, the fair also draws visitors due to its age-old animal sacrifice ritual. Offerings such as goats and buffaloes are often made to mark the fulfilment of vows made to Nanda Devi.
‘Part of Hindu culture’
Bhagwati Prasad Joshi, the chief priest at the temple who also performs the sacrificial rituals, says, “Bali (animal sacrifice) has been part of the Hindu culture since time immemorial. In many cases, such as at the Nanda Devi fair, the sacrificed animal is consumed by the devotees as prasad (sacred food).”
The priest explains that animals earmarked for sacrifice are fed and bathed before the ritual, after which holy water and sacred rice are sprinkled on them.
“Only the animals that react when holy water and rice are sprinkled over them are considered fit for sacrifice,” he adds.
BJP leader and lawyer Nitin Karki says that the annual ritual was “stopped” in the hill town after a 2010 High Court order based on a plea by an animal rights activist. The court passed a similar order in 2016, he adds. While the orders did not explicitly ban the slaughter of animals, they directed that the sacrifice take place at a slaughterhouse in adherence to the official norms.
However, with a paucity of approved abattoirs in the vicinity, the orders effectively limited the ritual of animal sacrifice, Mr. Karki adds.
On August 28, a day before the festival was set to start, the court allowed the sacrifice with similar restrictions based on a plea by a resident, Pawan Jatav, after the government submitted that preventing the practice altogether could result in a “law and order situation”.
The local civic body has appointed a veterinary doctor, Hema Rathore, outside the Naina Devi temple, whose job is to register every animal entering the premises and ensure that it returns alive in adherence to a recent order by the High Court prohibiting the sacrifice of animals within the temple premises. “Since August 29, a total of 104 goats have been brought to the fair,” Ms. Rathore says.
Following clearance by Ms. Rathore, a constable herds the goats to a nearby abattoir. The meat is then distributed among the devotees, says Kamal Jagati, a journalist who has been working in Nainital for over two decades.
Published – September 04, 2025 01:14 am IST
