| Fairs
and Festivals in Coochbehar
 The
people of Cooch Behar celebrate numerous fairs & festivals
throughout the year. Each festival and fair has its own history
and importance. Rich in culture & heritage of its own, these
fairs and festivals play an important role in the social lives
of the people of North Bengal. People from all sections participate
in these numerous festivals with pomp and glory.
The following information covers only a few
of the festivals that are unique to Coochbehar. There are many
festivals celebrated in Coochbehar along with the rest of the
region, much of which is not detailed below. The list below,
hence, is not exhaustive.
 Raas
Mela (Celebrated between October - November)
The most ancient and traditional of all fairs is Raas Mela.
The fair is organized every year after Durga Puja - the most
important festival in Bengal. The Raas fair through performances
describes the great epic of love saga of Lord Krishna and continues
for 15 days. However, here the idol of Lord Krishna is replaced
by the idol of Modan Mohan.
The origin of Rass Mela can be traced back during the rule of
the 17th King of Cooch Behar, i.e. Maharaja Harendra Narayan,
during 1783-1839. Thousands of people from all over Bengal and
adjacent states including Nepal and Bhutan throng this place
during this fair.
Hujur Saheb Mela at Haldibari (February
- March) :
Every year on 5th-6th day of the month of Phalgun according
to Bengali calendar, people come to Holdibari to pray and make
wishes to be fulfilled at the holy Mazar Shareif. Indiscriminate
of religious creeds, Hindus and Muslims visit there. In that
connection a two-day long big fair takes places characterised
mainly by religious environment.
 Shibaratri
Mela (February - March) :
On the occasion of Shivaratri a big fair is arranged at Baneswar.
Beside Baneswar, fair also take place in the sub-divisional
towns of Dinhata & Mathabhanga on this occasion. Recently
the fair is held at Mathabhanga and has reached wide dimensions
over years of celebrations.
Ratha Yatra (Celebrated in the month of
June - July)
Ratha Yatra or "The voyage of Lord Jagganath's Chariot"
is another attractive and colourful fair in Cooch Behar. The
fair is very important of Hindus. Although the fair is celebrated
in many parts of India, the Ratha Yatra in Coochbihar has a
distinctive feature. Here Sri Sri Madan Mohan instead of Lord
Jagganath rides from main temple to his maternal aunt's house
at Gunjabari in beautifully decorated Raths or Chariot. The
chariots are 45 feet high and have 6 wheels. The procession
or rath yatra draws huge crowds from all over the country. An
atmosphere of almost hysterical devotion prevails on this day
and in earlier years, devotees were known to have thrown themselves
under the wheels of the rath in the hope of obtaining instant
salvation. After one week the holy idol is ridden back to the
main Madan Mohan temple. All throughout these seven days, great
fair takes place at the main temple campus and at Gunjabari.
 Baradebi
Mela:
The Baradebi Mela comes after Ratha-yatra. This four-day long
celebration marks the worship of Sri Baradebi or Durga at Devibari
of Cooch Behar Town.
Sri Panchami Mela (Celebrated in August):
Every year during August on the occasion of Sri Panchami a five-days
long fair takes place the in Madhupur Dham about 12 km away
from Cooch Behar town. The fair felicitate Shankardev, the protagonist
& preacher of Baisnava cult. |
