The second week of January, Makar Sankranti’s auspicious day marks the beginning of the Uttarayani Mela in the Kumaon area of Uttarakhand (Bageshwar, Ranibagh, Hanseswari and so on). The Bagnath Temple in Bageshwar is the ground for a fair that typically lasts a week.
The area’s cultural heritage are demonstrated by a multitude of local artists singing Jhoras, Chancharis and Bairas (folklore). Local products such as iron and copper pots, containers, casks, mattresses and many other items can be purchased at the fair.
According to local people in the region, as the sun shifts from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere, a dip in the water of the river is thought to be auspicious and purifies the spirit.