It’s tough to imagine a single day with no noise, but in Manali it happens for 42. By Gayatri Moodliar
For 42 days, the only noise one can hear in Manali is Simon & Garfunkel’s favourite: Silence. Kept from the beginning of Makar Sankranti till the end of ‘Magh’ month, the hushed veil is meant to appease an old legend. The story goes that during this period, the gods make their trip back to heaven to immerse themselves in deep meditation, and disturbing them would result in consequences of a dire nature as they would take out their anger at being disturbed by earth-borne noises by going after their crops, farm areas and livestock.
This customary silence has been respected for centuries now in Manali, and absolutely everything is done to maintain it. No televisions are kept on, no music is played, household chores are kept to a minimum, and even visitors are expected to match the decibel level.
Some temples even hold off on conducting ceremonies, such as an age-old one in Goshal village that’s closed to the public for these 42 days, where it’s believed that Gautam Rishi, a chief deity, meditated.
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Once the deities have returned from the heavens from their meditation, locals and guests can get back into their day-to-day activities.
Other villages in Manali that observe this are Solang, Kothi, Burua, Majhach and Palchan.
IANS has also dived into what activities take place during this vocal break, and villagers highlight the blooming of the social culture, wherein they sit together in groups and take part in activities such as knitting and stitching.
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