Mahasu/masto Devta Temple, is located on the Tuini-Mori road at Hanol. The temple is dedicated to Mahasu Devta. Lord Mahasu is the chief deity of this area and is worshipped in Mahasu Devta Temple by the people of Hanol and nearby villages of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh state of India. It is the ancient temple of Mahasu Devta built in the 9th century. The temple was constructed in Kath-Kuni or Koti-Banal style of architecture. It is included in the Archaeological Survey of India list of the ancient temple in the Dehradun circle, Uttarakhand.
Mahasu Devta Temple is on the eastern bank of Tons River at Hanol village, near Chakrata, about 190 km from Dehradun, 156 km from Mussoorie and about 140 km from Shimla.
The Mahasu Devta festival is widely celebrated by residents of the Jaunsar-Babar region of Garhwal in August and September every year. It is celebrated at the temple built with a unique architecture, Hanol, for three days during which Mahasu, the lord of justice, is worshipped and a goat is offered to him and left out in the open at the temple yard after the prayers.
Traditions of Jaunsar
Fragments of Pandavas and Panchali can be seen in the culture of Jaunsar:
Jaunsaris trace their ethnic origin from Pandavas of the mythological tale ‘Mahabharata’ who married ‘Draupadi’ also known as ‘Panchali’ as she was the only wife of the five Pandava brothers. Since then the practice of polygamy and polyandry has been prevailing in Jaunsar-Bawar. Jaunsaris claim to be descendants of the Pandavas while the Bawaris are from the Kauravas or Duryodhana’s clan.
In Jaunsar the practice of polygamy and polyandry was prevalent. The richer tribesmen practiced polygamy while the poor counterparts practiced polyandry which can also be called as ‘Fraternal Polyandry’ in which two or more brothers choose to share a wife. Though, anthropology studies done in the 1990s states that these practices were fast phasing out which were further replaced by monogamy. Whereas, recent studies have found that such practices do not exist at present.
Culture and Festivity:
Jaunsari community reveres to ‘Mahasu Devta’ which is one of the principal deities of Jaunsari tribes. Dance and music are also an integral part of the culture of Jaunsari community. During festivals both men and women dance to the rhythm of the melodious folk music. The dancers fashion themselves in colorful traditional clothes; representing the rich culture of Jaunsar while the local people wear ‘Thalka’ or ‘Lohiya’, which is a long coat. The local people perform folk dances like Barada Nati, Harul and Raso on festive occasions like ‘Magh Mela’ and ‘Bissu’, a type of fair which marks the harvesting period. During Magh Mela villagers sacrifice ‘Maroj’ an ogre to their deity as according to a local legend it is believed that Maroj haunted in the valley for years.
