HT Correspondent
JAGIROAD, Jan 15: Preparations are underway for the traditional Jonbeel Mela, scheduled to be held from January 22 to 24 at Jonbeel Pathar in Jagiroad, an event renowned for preserving one of the world’s rare barter-based exchange traditions.
The three-day fair will begin on January 22 with an auspicious puja at the Deosal Shiv Mandir.
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This year’s edition will feature a collective tribute to popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg.
Organisers said around 60 villages from Karbi Anglong and 20 villages from neighbouring Meghalaya are expected to participate in the mela.
The highlight of the festival, the traditional barter system, will take place on the morning of the second day.
During the exchange, people from the plains will trade items such as sandah, pitha, laddu and raw fish with hill produce including ginger, spinach, garlic, la and dhuna, reflecting centuries-old economic and cultural ties between hill and plain communities.
Alongside the barter, a mass fishing festival will be organised at Jonbeel, open to participants irrespective of caste, religion or race.
The fair is expected to be attended by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with several ministers and MLAs.
At the Rajdarbar to be held at the fairgrounds, the chief minister will present Rajbhattas to 22 Tiwa kings of central Assam.
The Jonbeel Mela will conclude with another mass fishing event at the Gobha Raja’s Aram Beel, followed by the traditional symbolic collection of taxes by royal officials, marking the ceremonial end of the festival.
