Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand): On the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras, the historic Hariyali Devi Kantha Yatra is celebrated in respect of goddess Hariyali at Jasoli village of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district. The yatra takes place every year on the day of Dhanteras.
On this day, the doli of Hariyali Devi is decorated with garlands and with a silver statue of the deity the yatra commences from Jasoli temple to the parental home of the Devi, which is believed to be in the Hariyal mountain. The yatra commences at night and thousands of followers from across the country participate in it.
This yatra is fairly popular amongst the locals as well as non-resident Uttarakhandi’s. Hariyali Devi is considered to be the child avatar of Yogmaya and is worshipped as the purest form of Vaishnavi. At the onset of the yatra women from Jasoli village bid farewell to the procession by singing mangal geet.
In the midst of sounds of Dhol and Shankh, thousands of followers depart with the doli of Hariyali Devi from Jasoli village. The Hariyal mountain is considered to be the birthplace of Devi and is also called as her paternal home. It is an ancient ritual that once in a year, at the time of Diwali, the doli of Hariyali Devi is taken to her parents home.
This very ritual is called the Hariyali Devi Kantha Yatra. This is believed to be the only ancient yatra in the country which starts at night. The procession starts from Jasoli village and after a trek of about 10 kilometres through the thick forest of Hariyali it culminates at the temple of Devi’s birthplace.
Thereafter, people of Pabo village welcome the doli and places it in the temple of the Hariyal mountain. Speaking to ETV Bharat about this yatra a local priest said, "The yatra will begin on Friday(Dhanteras) at 6:30 pm and will reach Hariyal mountain next morning."
The four phases of the yatra
Kodima: The procession stops at Kodima for half an hour where women of the village welcome the yatra. The doli reaches the Kodima in the evening.
Baanso: This stopover is about 3 kilometres from the Kodima village and the procession reaches here at about 10 pm at night. The procession departs from this village at about 2 am.
Panchrangya Paani: This stop is 2 kilometres away from Baanso village and is the coldest stop on the entire route. This place has the only source of freshwater and the idol of the devi is given a bath here. After this, all followers also take a holy dip in the water. The yatra halts at this place for two hours and then proceeds for the next destination.
Kankhal: This is the last stop of the yatra where it reaches at about 4 am. The place is about 1.5 kilometre from Paanchrangya. After resting for about an hour, the yatra moves ahead for its final destination at the Hariyal mountain and with the first ray of the sun, the doli of Hariyali Devi reaches its final destination.
