chappar mela

This fair is held on Anand Chaudas, the 14th day of the bright half of Bhadon in honour of Gugga Pir. A big shrine known as 'Gugge di Marhi' has been built in his memory. The Pir was very popular in his time, and his disciples can be found all over the Punjab. He was a Chauhan Rajput and according to legend, he gently descended into the bosom of Mother Earth along with his steed, and never returned. He was believed to possess special power over all kinds of snakes. On the day this fair is held, villages scoop the earth seven times because they believe that in this way they invoke Gugga Pir to protect them against snakes. This shrine has a reputation for curing people of snake-bite. It is strongly believed that if a person is bitten by a snake, all that has to be done is to take him to the shrine and lay him beside it, he is then sure to be cured. This shrine was built in 1890. This fair provides occasion for folk songs and folk dances. Young people form themselves into groups and go about dancing and singing for hours. Some dancers don women's dress and perform Giddha for the sake of fun. The fair lasts for three days.