Bred for butter

An ancient custom in an Uttarkashi village is now drawing tourists

An ancient custom in an Uttarkashi village is now drawing tourists
Every summer,villagers from Raithal and nearby villages in Uttarkashi,Uttarakhand,move to Dayara Bugyal,a highland meadow,with their cattle and stay there in cowsheds. Then as the winter approaches,they begin the long haul back. But before they leave Dayara Bugyal,they stop to celebrate Andudi,a tradition they have followed for generations.

Andudi is Holi without the colours. Instead,the villagers smear butter and buttermilk on each other. For the 1,000-odd villagers of Raithal,Andudi is now a way of lifean annual ritual that has been on for so long that nobody knows for how long. But in recent years,the festival has been grabbing the attention of city slickers,thanks to the tourists who stop by and dont mind a game of butter Holi.

Three days before the festival,all the villagers contribute milk,from which butter and buttermilk is made. A boy and a girl,dressed as Radha and Krishna,smear each other with butter and others take over. Celebrated in August,Andudi is the villagers way of thanking Lord Krishna for protecting their cattletheir only source of livelihood. The festival ends with the women performing Raso,a local dance form.
Rajender Jamnal,secretary,Angha Mountain Association,says,Andudi has great potential to attract trekkers and tourists. We have started working on a plan with the Dayara tourism association in Raithal.

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For now,Dayara is only an annual transit spot for the villagers of Raithal. Located at a height of 3,048 metres,it provides a scenic view of Bandarpunch Massifs to the east and the Jaunli and Gangotri peaks to the southeast.

S.S. Yadav,assistant tourism officer of Uttarkashi,says funds worth Rs 5 crore have been spent in the last three years on improving infrastructure in and around Raithal.

Manoj Rana,Raithal gram pradhan,says the festival has suddenly been drawing visitors.
So do the villagers mind this intrusion? Not in the least,says Rana,as long as their surroundings are not tampered with.

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