CM Sukhu at Minjar Mela: Chamba's Ancient Fair Concludes
Synopsis
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu joined the ceremonial close of the International Minjar Mela in Chamba on August 2, 2026. A grand procession from Akhand Chandi Palace to Manjari Garden and a traditional Ravi River offering of maize silk, fruits and coins marked the end of the annual folk festival.
Key Takeaways
The International Minjar Mela in Chamba concluded on August 2, 2026 with a grand ceremonial procession.
The shobhayatra ran from Akhand Chandi Palace to Manjari Garden , featuring folk troupes, traditional costumes and live instruments.
A minjar — maize silk bound in red cloth with seasonal fruits and coins — was ritually offered to the Ravi River for prosperity and a good harvest.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania and several MLAs and Congress leaders attended alongside tourists and local residents.
The fair is designated an International cultural event, reflecting Chamba's significance as a folk-heritage destination in Himachal Pradesh.
The ancient maize-silk offering met the Ravi's current one more time — and Chamba exhaled in celebration. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday, August 2, 2026, marked the grand conclusion of the International Minjar Mela in Chamba, as the district's most beloved annual festival drew to a dignified, colour-drenched close.
A magnificent procession — shobhayatra — wound its way from the storied Akhand Chandi Palace to Manjari Garden, filling the air with the sound of traditional instruments, the sight of folk costumes, and the energy of a crowd that stretched as far as the eye could follow. Cultural troupes, women and men dressed in traditional Himachali attire, tourists, and personnel from Himachal Pradesh Police and the Home Guard all marched together, turning the procession into a living tableau of the region's folk identity.
Minjar offered to the Ravi for harvest and peace
At the heart of the closing ceremony lay the ritual that gives the festival its soul. A minjar — the symbolic tassel of maize silk — bound in red cloth and accompanied by seasonal fruits and coins, was offered to the Ravi River, a prayer for the prosperity, peace, and a good harvest for the state and the nation. The act is both agricultural and devotional: an ancient community's way of thanking the monsoon and asking for abundance in return. The Minjar Mela traces its roots deep into Chamba's royal past and is now recognised as an International cultural fair, drawing visitors from beyond Himachal Pradesh and reflecting the district's rare capacity to hold living tradition alongside modern tourism.Assembly Speaker and Congress leaders join the farewell procession
Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, State Planning Board Vice-Chairman Bhawani Singh Pathania, MLAs Neeraj Nayyar and Hardeep Bawa, District Congress President Surjit Bharmouri, APMC Chamba Chairman Lalit Thakur, and Congress leaders Yashwant Khanna and Amit Bharmouri were among the dignitaries present — a gathering that underlined the political as well as cultural weight the administration attaches to the fair. For Chamba, the Minjar Mela is not a heritage exhibit behind glass. It is the district breathing out a year's worth of collective feeling — and the Ravi, as always, carries it forward.Point of View
Senior-level presence at the Minjar Mela — from the Chief Minister's post to the Assembly Speaker's attendance on the ground — signals a deliberate effort to weave cultural patronage into the Congress administration's identity in Himachal Pradesh. Festivals like Minjar, which blend agrarian ritual with folk tourism, offer the ruling party a rare space where governance and sentiment align naturally. As Himachal Pradesh pushes cultural tourism as an economic pillar, state-level endorsement of district fairs carries an implicit policy message: heritage is also an industry. Whether that translates into sustained infrastructure investment in Chamba's tourism ecosystem is the question the next budget cycle will answer.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Minjar Mela in Chamba?
The Minjar Mela is an annual cultural festival held in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh , celebrating the monsoon season and the maize crop. Its centrepiece is the ritual offering of a minjar — a tassel of maize silk — along with fruits and coins to the Ravi River , as a prayer for prosperity and a good harvest.
When did the Minjar Mela 2026 end?
The International Minjar Mela 2026 concluded on Sunday, August 2, 2026 , with a ceremonial procession and Ravi River offering.
Who attended the closing of Minjar Mela 2026?
CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu , Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania , State Planning Board Vice-Chairman Bhawani Singh Pathania , MLAs Neeraj Nayyar and Hardeep Bawa , and several other Congress leaders and dignitaries attended the closing ceremony.
What is the significance of the Ravi River offering at Minjar Mela?
Offering the minjar — maize silk bound in red cloth with seasonal fruits and coins — to the Ravi River is the defining ritual of the festival. It represents a community prayer for regional peace, prosperity, and a bountiful harvest, rooted in Chamba's agrarian and folk traditions.
Where does the Minjar Mela procession take place?
The closing procession, or shobhayatra , travels from the historic Akhand Chandi Palace to Manjari Garden in Chamba, drawing cultural troupes, residents, tourists and security personnel.
