Man Slides Throughout Himachal Valley On Rope As Ritual Returns After 40 Years

Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla is witnessing a uncommon and age-old non secular custom that’s believed to carry collectively the deities of the Spail Valley, showcasing the area’s vibrant cultural heritage. The four-day occasion was marked by a singular ‘rope-sliding custom’ on Saturday through which a ‘jedi’ (a person belonging to the Beda caste) slid by way of a rope for not less than one kilometer from one hill to the opposite.

A video of the occasion reveals the 65-year-old man, Surat Ram, performing the ritual by sitting on a picket raft after which sliding down the rope by way of what known as the “valley of dying”. Shortly earlier than he reached the opposite facet of the hill, a rope that was connected to the person from one finish, fell from the palms of individuals holding it on the opposite facet. Nevertheless, they acquired a maintain of it instantly.

The rope (referred to as ‘munji’ – a sacred rope) was made adhering to strict rituals of celibacy and silence. It was additionally soaked in oil for the sliding to be clean. Based on Surat Ram, it took two and a half months for him to organize the rope. He was assisted by 4 different individuals, he instructed information company IANS.

Hundreds of individuals had gathered in Dalgaon, a distant village within the Rohru sub-division of Shimla, to witness the custom. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu additionally reportedly attended it.

The non secular occasion ‘Bhunda Maha Yagya’ started on January 2 and can finish on January 5. It’s marked by processions of deities carried in intricately adorned palanquins to the sound of trumpets and drums. The ‘rope-sliding’ ritual was final carried out in 1985 by Surat Ram, who was 21 years previous at the moment.