Monday, February 14, 2011

Purnigiri Mela

Purnigiri Mela

The Purnagiri temple is located at about 20 Kms from Tanakpur which is the nearest town from Purnagiri.

Tanakpur,a town under the Champawat district,is among one of the few places in Uttrakhand which has direct rail connectivity with Bareilly. Tankapur is also well connected with road to different parts of Kumaon as well as other parts of the Uttaranchal and other states. Regular bus service ply from Tanakpur to Delhi, Nainital, Haldwani, Bareilly etc.

From Tanakpur,there is a motorable road till the Thulligad which is located at about 14 Kms from Tanankpur. Different types of public transport are available from Tanakpur to Thulligad. From Thulligad the road for reaching upto Tunyas is under construction. People go on foot from Thulligad to Purnagiri temple.

From Thulligad people walk on foot to reach the Hanuman Chatti. The south - western part of 'Punya Parvat'(Purna giri) can be seen from this place. Various temporary shops and huts are present on the road from Hanuman Chatti till Tunyas. On the way there are various dharamshalas and hotels etc where people can have rest for few hours, get fresh and can have snacks or meals.
From Tunyas,the Maa Purnagiri temple is about 3 Kms. Form here after walking some distance the 'Baans Ki Chadai' starts which is now made convenient by the stairs and iron railing.

It is not advisable to visit here during rainy season as there are frequent landslides in the hills and the path to temple is not well maintained during this season.

Tanakpur During MelaCome March and the streets of Tanakpur, a sleepy town of eastern Terai region of Kumaon region, comes alive. Large groups of devotees shouting slogans of ‘Purnagiri Mata’ start gathering during the first fortnight of March and continue the trek to Annapurna hills, on the side of Kali river, to seek the blessings of Goddess Purnagiri.

The Purnagiri temple is 20 km from Tanakpur and is atop a hill at a height of 3,000 feet.

The Purnagiri mela begins on March 15 and continues till April 15 during the “Chaitra Navratras”. It is one of the biggest fairs of Kumaon region and the 16-km-long path between Tanakpur and Tunnas overflows with pilgrims from western UP, Haryana and Delhi.

Purnagiri Mela Entrance

After 1980, the fair got government attention and a metalled road up to Bharav temple was constructed, drinking water was made available at the mela spot and stairs erected up to the main temple. After these infrastructure facilities were added, the number of pilgrims have crossed the one-million mark.

Stairs till Purnagiri temple.
The mela is jointly organised by zila panchayat, Champawat, and the district administration.
Earlier, the devotees used to have “darshan” of the goddess from 200m below the temple as it was situated on a sharp peak. But now, it has been connected by stairs.


In old days, the devotees used to reach the sanctum sanctorum by gripping the long grass there called “Babila”.
They would tie it aspiring the fulfilment of their wishes and after their wishes are fulfilled, they untie the knots.

Purnagiri temple where people tie knots for wishes

The tradition continues but people nowadays tie a cotton cloth on a railing.
After having the darshan of Mata people visit the Siddhanth Temple in Brahmdev mandi a Nepali town adjacent to Tanakpur or in Mahendra Nagar Nepali city adjacent to the Banbasa.


The Purnagiri temple is located at about 20 Kms from Tanakpur which is the nearest town from Purnagiri.

Tanakpur,a town under the Champawat district,is among one of the few places in Uttrakhand which has direct rail connectivity with Bareilly. Tankapur is also well connected with road to different parts of Kumaon as well as other parts of the Uttaranchal and other states. Regular bus service ply from Tanakpur to Delhi, Nainital, Haldwani, Bareilly etc.

From Tanakpur,there is a motorable road till the Thulligad which is located at about 14 Kms from Tanankpur. Different types of public transport are available from Tanakpur to Thulligad. From Thulligad the road for reaching upto Tunyas is under construction. People go on foot from Thulligad to Purnagiri temple.

Shops during the mela time in the way of Maa Purnagiri templeFrom Thulligad people walk on foot to reach the Hanuman Chatti. The south - western part of 'Punya Parvat'(Purna giri) can be seen from this place. Various temporary shops and huts are present on the road from Hanuman Chatti till Tunyas. On the way there are various dharamshalas and hotels etc where people can have rest for few hours, get fresh and can have snacks or meals.

From Tunyas,the Maa Purnagiri temple is about 3 Kms. Form here after walking some distance the "Baans Ki Chadai" starts which is now made convenient by the stairs and iron railing.

It is not advisable to visit here during rainy season as there are frequent landslides in the hills and the path to temple is not well maintained during this season.

Facilities: During the chaitra navratra mela, basic amenities like medicines,hospital,telephone etc are available. The nearest petrol pump is in Tanakpur, 20 Km from here.

Language: Kumaoni, Hindi.

How to reach Purnagiri:

By Air: Nearest Air port is Pant Nagar, 121 kms. (via Khatima Nanakmatta)

By Rail: Nearest Railhead is Tanakpur, 20 Kms.

By Road: Motorable road exists upto Thuligad, 14 Kms. from Tanakpur. Thereafter, the road is under construction upto Tunyas (Kms.). From here, a 3 Kms. trek leads to Purnagiri.

And Purnigiri mela start in this 20th March 2011.

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