Mandi (HP), February 22 Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla led a procession on Sunday as part of the closing ceremony of the seven-day International Shivratri Fair.
The governor performed a puja for Madhav Rai, the main deity of the Mandi Estate, and joined the procession, which began from the office of the district commissioner and ended at Paddle Ground.
Shukla, who was the chief guest, presided over the closing ceremony.
The town of Mandi had been in a festive mood for the past seven days.
The hill deities – dressed in attractive costumes, ornaments, and metal masks mostly made of gold and silver, and carried on their traditionally decorated palanquins, accompanied by a contingent of hill orchestra – were greeted by the public waiting on both sides of the road.
On Sunday, all the deities were placed at Chhota Bazar in the heart of Mandi town, a ritual traditionally known as Chhota ki Jatar.
As thousands of devotees gathered to pray to these deities, the area was packed, making it impossible to move around.
The fair, which entered its 500th year of celebration this year, saw more than 200 deities attending it at the invitation of the Shivratri Mela Committee.
