Mandi (HP), February 15 As the Budget session begins on Monday, Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri will inaugurate the seven-day International Shivratri fair here, instead of the chief minister, as is the tradition, officials said on Sunday.
During a recent press conference, Deputy Commissioner Mandi Apoorv Devgan had said that the fair was likely to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. However, officials later confirmed that the deputy chief minister would preside over the inauguration ceremony.
The first day of the three-day Budget session coincides with the beginning of the fair on Monday.
The Shivratri fair, which began in 1527 during the reign of the then ruler of the erstwhile Mandi estate, is entering its 500th year, making it historically significant. Initially a local fair, it was declared a state-level event after the formation of Himachal Pradesh and was later accorded international status by former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
As per tradition, the chief minister inaugurates the fair while the governor attends the closing ceremony.
People from different regions carry palanquins of their local deities, around 200 in total, as part of the fair.
In 2003, the fair was inaugurated by the Mandi deputy commissioner, as the government had not yet been formed.
In 2007, it was inaugurated by then Member of Parliament, Pratibha Singh.
People of the state, especially the Dev Samaj – an umbrella term for people who believe in their respective local hill gods and goddesses – have expressed displeasure in the past when chief ministers have skipped the fair. They say that if gods can make time for the fair, so can elected representatives.
Some members of the Dev Samaj said that if political leaders are unable to attend, a religious figure should be invited to inaugurate the fair instead.