Home

 SHIMLA

 KULLU

 KANGRA

 CHAMBA

 DHARAMSHALA

 PALAMPUR 

 MANDI 

 Sujanpur Tira

 Kinnaur]                    

Photo Gallery

Trekking

Gaddis are the nomads of the lower ranges of the Himalayas. Their mobile Bashas exist in Jammu and Himachal Pradesh especially on the plateau of the ranges situated on both sides of the river Ravi. They, in particular, inhabit in the upper ranges of Ladda, that is, Panchary, Sanga, Galiote and the slopes of Bani in Jammu region leading to the ranges of Zanskar in Ladakh region. In Himachal Pradesh at Chamba, Bharmour, Kullu and in a few places of Kangra we find the settlements of Gaddis though Bharmour is the main town around which many of these tribals have settled. In fact, this town is known as Gadheran  the region of Gaddis.

Bharmour is a beautiful spot accessible through metalled road from Chamba to Kharamukh. It is at a distance of 47 kms covered in two and a half hours. Then one has to cross the river and go on travelling on the other side of the Ravi. Earlier there was no bridge for vehicular traffic, as such the people had to travel on foot to reach the other side of the river where stood a bus to carry them to the town. Bharmour is situated at a distance of 18 kms from Kharamukh. It is a divine land of conifers, apples and pears inhab- ited by innocent and god-fearing people, Gaddis, the godly people.                      Gaddis are Hindus and believe in Hindu gods and goddesses along with a number of tribal deities. They are so innocent and god-fearing people that for them every natural element is a symbol of some god. Most of the local gods worshipped by them have strange stories. People in Bhumag area worship three local gods, Sankri Devta, Sopore Devta and Sankhpal.

All the three gods have their places of worship at the plateau or on the cliffs of mountains. During pooja, every year, people from all walks of life assemble in the courtyard of the shrine and the festival begins. Sankri Devta is a principal local god who is worshipped by all people of Bhumag region.            Images by Dr B C Khanna

 Its temple is situated at the plateau of a hill having a height of almost 6500 feet surrounded by the conifers but the courtyard is wide enough to accommodate ten thousands of people.The temple of Devta is erected on a square platform which tapers up gradually at the apex designed in a simple Shikhra style with square sand- stones. Placed nearby is a broken chariot with a single horse carved out of a monolithic rock, symbolic of the chariot of the god. The image of god is carried on a godly palanquin by the priests while the head priest follows the palanquin fanning the deity with a tuft of peacock feathers during festival days. The festival takes place in the month of Sawan when the people from far and wide assemble in the courtyard to witness Dev Jatr and to get their wishes fulfilled. Goats are sacrificed and their mutton is distributed as prasad among the devotees. They also offer chains popularly known as sankles of various strengths. Chains of steel, silver and, very rarely, of gold are offered at the time of festivals, especially when the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled.

The Gaddi people sing, drink and dance chanting the hymns of Sankri Devta. A particular dance, popularly known as Kudd is the attraction of the occasion. Dancers dance in a circle, two steps forward and retreating a step at regular intervals. The dance catches speed with time and on the rhythms of drums, kaihal and other folk instruments. To wave off the chill of the night they burn logs of wood in centre around which dancers move. The dress of the people is simple. The males wear an apron-like long attire which goes down upto knees and a rope-like sash is bound at the waist, popularly known as tigra. They put on the turban of white or cream colour. They are fond of tight trousers. During winter pattu coats and baskets are used. The shoes are generally home-made with rough cloth but now-a-days they are using the leather shoes too. The men folk are fond of earrings of gold which are small in size covering only the earlobes. Women wear coloured attire like apron bound at the waist with several yards of woollen rope, the tigra. They are very fond of ornaments. Bead necklaces, earrings, nose rings popularly known as nath, toe rings, bangles of various strengths are but a few ornaments used by the ladies. The married ladies use nath as nose ring and koul, a cone-shaped silver ornament, on their head. The ornaments are generally made of silver but sometimes gold is also used in rich families. The married women are fond of rich embroidered clothes of gay colours.

The Gaddis are in fact nomads who move along with their flock of sheep to higher pasturelands, though they have their permanent settlements at villages on the lower heights. They move to the higher ranges during summer months but in winters they get down to the lower heights. At the higher ranges they build up temporary dwellings as a shelter against rains and other natural calamities, but at lower ranges they have permanent settlements. However, they do not come down from the average height of 5000 feet. Their main vocation is to rear sheep and goats from which they get wool and milk. Wool is sold in the market. Sometimes the sheep and goat skins are also saved after getting the mutton of the, animal and sold with all the enthusiasm. Ladies are expert in weaving the woollen clothes especially the sweaters, pat tu and a number of other woollen garments. These woollen garments are dyed with homemade colours. Green colour is extracted from the bark of walnut trees, red from katha and yellow from flowers. These colours are treated chemically in such a way that they form permanent colours. Coloured designs are given to the garments while weaving the coloured threads. Apart from weaving, the ladies help their men folk in the cultivation. Maize, rice and a few legumes are grown in the terraced farms. In addition to the sheep and goat they also domesticate cattle like cows and buffaloes for milk. Among the fruits, apples, apricots, pears and nuts like walnut and almond are the favorites.

Matrimonial rituals are simple but magnificent. Mostly they are ceremonised collectively. The people from all the communities are invited to participate. They drink, dance and enjoy the whole night. The marriage is of several types. ' Dohri' is the marriage when the groom gets the bride who is the sister of his sister's husband so that two persons marry the sisters of each other. ' Dharme-Punye' is the marriage when the bride is offered to a man without any precondition. It is supposed to be most auspicious. In fact, the lads who do not possess any sister are married to the lonely girls of another family. The rituals are like those of the marriages performed in the Hindu families in the plains. The oath of husband and wife in true of their core is conducted while performing Yagna. Dowry system is prevalent but not on large scale.

Sometimes the men marry two girls one after another but it is very rare. The second one is not a real marriage. In fact, the married lady, if beautiful, is invited to come and live with and her husband is given the cost he had spent during his marriage, but this is possible only if the lady consents to live with another man than her real husband.

Among the fairs and festivals almost all of them are related to the religious beliefs. Their gods travel during the festivals, the occasion is called Jatr. Several such Jatrs are in vogue when the deity is carried in a palanquin followed by the Chelas or the followers who while in trance profess the future happenings. It is supposed to be a very important occasion for the commoners who gather in thousands to sort out their problems and ask the questions to these Chelas who sometimes give the exact answers. It is mysterious, but it does happen. For getting their wishes fulfilled they worship several local gods like Vasuki, Baba Bhairh, Surgal, Gugga, Tansu Nag, Boula Devta, Akkharh Devta, Kounsar Nag, Jalsar Nag and a number of goddesses like Jakhni Devi, Pingla, Mansa, etc. But above all, the god of gods is Mahadev or Shiva. They are the disciples of Lord Shiva.