1 Fairs to Devi.
2 363
3 Thadairi rd bJiukhdj awau ji jJiamaJc lagi^ ho ho,
4 I ^hun^er for a shooting- match : come’ the fair has started, hS,
5 ho. The^ others call out ho, ho in reply. The tune called a
6 thadairi is then sang- and matches are arranged between pairs of
7 players ^ One champion advances with his arrow on the string of his
8 bow, while the other places himself in front of him, keepincr \is leo-s
9 moving, so as to avoid being hit. The archer's object is to hit his
10 op^ponent below the knee, and if he succeeds in doing so he takes a
11 (Idngrd in his hand and dances, declaring that a lion's whelp was born
12 in the house of his father at his home. The man who has been hit is
13 allowed to sit down for a time to recover from the pain of the wound
14 and then he in turn takes a bow, and placing his hand on his opponent's
15 shoulder says ^ bravo, now it is my turn, beware of my arrow.' If he
16 hit his opponent he, too, dances in the same way, but if he fail his
17 victor dances again crying, ^ how could the arrow of such a jackal hit a
18 tiger's cub ? ' This goes on until one or the other is beaten. The matches
19 are usually arranged between men who are at enmity with one another.
20 The play lasts for two days. Sometimes disturbances break out. These
21 used to be serious, even resulting in men being killed on either side, but
22 now-a-days a slop is put to the play, if a disturbance it feared, by pulling
23 down the deota^s flag, when the players desist of their own accord.
24 On the third day a goat and two buffaloes are sacriflced to Devi.
25 The latter are killed in the same way as those at the Tarab Fair, but
26 the shambles are at a distance from the temple, and two picked men
27 take their stand, one on the road to Fagu, the other on that to Ratesh
28 to prevent the wounded animals going toward their respective villages, as
29 it is believed that it is unlucky for one of them to reach either village,
30 and bloodshed often results from the attempts of the different parties
31 to keep the animals away from their village. Efforts have been made
32 to induce the people to allow the buffaloes to be killed by a single blow,
33 h\xi pujdris will not allow this, as being the offerings of Devi's
34 enemies, they must be slaughtered with as much cruelty as possible.
35 After this rite the people make offerings to Devi, the money goino* to
36 the^ temple fund, while the other things, such as grain, goats &c. are
37 divided among the pujdris. The chela of the Devi then begins to nod
38 his head (kheind, lit., to play , and taking some grains of rice in his hand
39 distributes them among the people, saying, ^you have celebrated my
40 fair without disturbances, and I will protect you against all misfortunes
41 throughout the year.' If, however, any disturbance has occurred during
42 the fair, the offenders are made to pay a fine on the spot to obtain the
43 Devi's pardon, otherwise it is believed that some dire catastrophe will
44 befall tnem, necessitating the payment of a still heaviei fine. The
45 Devi passes the night at the fair, reluming to her temple on the
46 morning of the fourth day.
47 : II. — The Jat fair, Bhalawag.
48 This fair is held at Bhalawag on the first Sunday in Har. There
49 is a legend that a sadhu once lived on the Chalial hill. He was famous
50 ^ ‘ yo a hunger after archery, come on, siuce you itch for it. ^ Thadairi, for
51 /joaa, an arrow,. means archery, and one of the tunes or modes of the hill music is so
52 called because it is played at archery meetings.