Bhunda festival in Spail, a relic of the tribal past
Deep in the apple belt of Shimla hills, the picturesque Spail valley is a spot of frantic activity amidst the relative calm that prevails in the region during the cold winter months. People are busy renovating houses, laying roads, sprucing up streets, water lines, electricity, and everything else that goes to host a large mass of visitors.
The massive effort is directed towards performing the Bhunda Narmedh Mahayajna, the Mahakumbh of the hills, also known as Bhunda festival. The event is being held from January 2-5. Lying at a distance of 115 km from Shimla, Spail valley comprises seven villages — Bhamnala, Khorsu, Gawna, Kutara, Khashkandi, Dalgaon and Bhraitly, spread along a 15-km stretch of road. It has a combined population of over 3,000 people. The festival is being held here after a period of 40 years.
The yajna is being performed to propitiate devta Bakralu, the chief deity of the valley. It seeks to “bring peace and prosperity to the people and to protect them from disasters perpetrated by evil spirits”. Bakralu devta “resides” in a temple complex at Dalgaon village.
The 2025 yajna is set to be a congregation of four devtas, the other three being devta Bondra from Kui village, Maheshwar from Samarkot, and Morish from Rantari.
No one is sure about the origins of the festival. “It is as old as the hills, but we do not have any written proof regarding its origin,” says Jagdish Shukla, who comes from a family of priests. His father Kewal Ram performed the rituals in 1985.
As per one version, Bhunda is celebrated to commemorate the victory of the Khashas (present-day Khashiyas of the Shimla hills) over Nagas. The Khashas are an Indo-Aryan tribe which settled in the north-western Himalayan region, among other places. The Nagas are said to be the original inhabitants of the hills. Another myth attributes its origin to the killing of demon Bhundasur, who finds mention in the Puranas.
Old-timers, however, maintain that its genesis lies in the tribal roots of the people. “The rituals have remained the same since time immemorial. We have our own culture, different from the Brahmanical ways of the plains,” says Raghunath Jamta, Mohtmeen or head of the temple governing body of devta Bakralu.
Tribal cultures across the globe are known to revere nature. The devtas of the hills are said to be a personification of natural forces. “In the old times, devtas regulated the lives of the common folk as per Devniti. People turned to them for everything, be it personal decisions, justice, or matters related to the community as a whole. People could go to any extent to make them happy,”
The core component of the Bhunda Narmedh yajna entails a man, known as beda, sliding down a thick rope tied between two points at a gradient. In 2025, Surat Ram, who belongs to a family of bedas, has been chosen to perform the ritual. The middle-aged Ram has already performed the task at nine other places.
The Bhunda yajna is carried out in accordance with the Shabar Veda, an old canonical treatise of the tribal culture. The festival is a common endeavour of a close-knit community. Preparations started in August 2023 after a temple General House meeting, where people readily offered to make donations for the deity.
After a “formal permission” from devta Bakralu, the community gathered in September 2024 to collect wafts of munji grass from a designated place. Surat Ram, aided by four pujaris, subsequently embarked on weaving the rope, around 300 metres long, from the grass.
In the run-up to the main event, regular havans and puja will be offered to the deity from December 25, when the priests go into complete isolation.
The valley has seen significant economic development since the festival was held 40 years back. Orchardists have adopted scientific methods, but nature remains the decisive factor. “It is a matter of faith. When things go out of our control, where else can we go but turn to our devta to seek a way out,” says Amrit Negi, an orchardist from Gawna village.
“It is a rare opportunity to reconnect with my roots, and immerse myself in the spiritual essence of the divine,” says Aayushi Banshtu, a bio-tech professional based in Germany, who is back home for the festival. Over two lakh people are expected to attend the Bhunda festival, which is also celebrated in Kullu and Shimla districts.
All spruced up
As per conservative estimates, over Rs 40 crore has been spent on the construction and renovation of houses by 900 or so families in the Spail valley. Another Rs 18 crore has gone towards meeting the boarding and lodging requirements of visitors. People have donated over Rs 1.5 crore to the temple, which will be organising free meals. The government has stepped in with an aid of over Rs 1 crore for carrying out developmental works.
— The writer is based in Chandigarh
