Uttarakhand folk Tales: Mountain Tradition

Uttarakhand Folk Tale (उत्तराखंड लोक कथा)

Uttarakhand, called Devbhoomi, is famous not just for its pilgrimages and mountains but also for its folklore.
These Uttarakhand folk tales in Hindi — be it the love story of Rajula Malushahi or the mystery of a pahadi lok katha — are the priceless heritage of our Garhwali and Kumaoni culture.

Let us connect with the soul of the Himalayas through these traditional stories of Uttarakhand.

1. Rajula-Malushahi Love Tale (राजुला मालुशाही प्रेम कथा)

Rajula-Malushahi is a famous folk tale from Uttarakhand, symbolizing eternal love and sacrifice. This story originates from the Baijnath region in the Kumaon area and begins in Chaukhutiya (also known as Bairath), where King Dholashah once ruled.

King Dholashah had everything except a child, which caused deep sorrow to him and his queen. One night, the queen had a dream, after which she decided to visit the Baghnath temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva) to pray for a child. There, the royal couple met a childless couple named Sunpati Shauk-Gangoli.

Both of them say that if one of them has a girl and the other has a boy, then they will get them married. This is where the first part of this story begins.

Soon after, King Dholashah was blessed with a son, and Sunpati with a beautiful daughter named Rajula. But shortly afterward, royal astrologers predicted that the prince, Malushahi, was born under a short-life fate. The only remedy suggested was to get him married on the fifth day after birth.

Remembering his vow to Sunpati, the king quickly arranged the marriage of Rajula and Malushahi. The wedding was solemnized. However, a few days later, King Dholashah passed away.

Taking advantage of the situation, some people began spreading rumors that Rajula had brought misfortune and that her presence might bring disaster to the kingdom. As a result, the queen and ministers decided to never tell Malushahi about Rajula.

Time passed. Rajula and Malushahi grew up, unaware of each other’s existence. Meanwhile, Sunpati wondered why no message ever came from King Dholashah’s side. As Rajula matured, her beauty became renowned in every direction.

During this time, the King of Hoon Desh, Vikhyapal, heard of Rajula’s beauty and sent a marriage proposal to Sunpati. He also threatened that if Rajula didn’t marry him, he would burn down their kingdom.

Rajula, unwilling to marry Vikhyapal, decided to travel alone to Bairath to find Malushahi. One night, taking a diamond ring, she crossed mountains and rivers to reach Bairath.

Meanwhile, Malushahi expressed to his mother a desire to marry Rajula. Shocked, the queen summoned a healer and asked for an herb to make him unconscious so he would forget about Rajula. Malushahi fell into a deep sleep.

Rajula reached Bairath and tried to awaken Malushahi, but he wouldn’t wake up. Heartbroken, she placed the diamond ring on his finger and left a letter beside him, crying, before returning to her father’s home.

Some time later, Malushahi woke up and read the letter. It said:

“If you truly love me, come to Hoon Desh and take me away. My father is marrying me off to someone else.”

Determined, Malushahi sought refuge with Guru Gorakhnath, a great sage. The guru warned him that the path ahead wouldn’t be easy and advised him to return and manage the kingdom. But Malushahi, deeply in love, was unwilling to abandon Rajula’s pain.

Impressed by his devotion, Guru Gorakhnath taught Malushahi yogic practices and powerful mystical arts, including protection from the poisons of Hoon Desh.

Leaving behind his royal life, Malushahi adopted the disguise of a yogi and traveled to Hoon Desh.

King Vikhyapal soon realized that this yogi was no ordinary man but a royal in disguise. He ordered Malushahi’s death by feeding him a poisoned cucumber. Malushahi died on the spot.

Rajula was devastated. She was frozen in shock, unable to believe that the man she had dreamed of living her life with was now gone forever.

2. Dhari Devi: Protector of Uttrakhand (धारी देवी: उत्तराखंड की रक्षक)

The protector goddess of Uttarakhand, or should we say the goddess who protects Char Dham, is a symbol of faith, strength, and belief. Dhari Devi is situated in the middle of the Alaknanda River in the Srinagar district of Uttarakhand; the head of the goddess is worshipped in this temple.

History of Dhari Devi Temple (धारी देवी मंदिर का इतिहास)

This happened a long time ago. There were 7 brothers in a family, and they had 1 sister. It is said that the only sister gets the most love from the brothers, but here it was just the opposite. When a girl was born, her complexion was dark, and look at her fate. When her Kundali was seen, it was found out that her planet was not right for her brothers. She loved her brothers a lot, but she used to get disrespected since childhood. After some time, her parents died. even without wanting to, the brothers took care of the sister but blamed the sister for the death of the parents Whenever anything wrong happened, they considered the sister to be at fault. They considered all the girls as criminals. As the days passed, the fear of the brothers started increasing.

5 out of 7 brothers died, then 2 brothers got scared, and they felt that the reason behind the death of their 5 brothers was their sister. Both the brothers and their wives made a plan to kill the girl so that everything would be fine. At night, they slit the cheek of the sleeping girl and threw her into the Alaknanda River.

But this story took a different turn. In a Dhaari village named Kaliyasoud, the head gets stuck on a stone in the middle of the Alaknanda River. Then a man sees the girl’s head and thinks that a girl has drowned in the river, but he is afraid to go into the river. Then he heard a voice that said, There is no fear. Come to me and save me. I will not let anything happen to you. As soon as the man picked up the girl’s head, he got scared. The girl said that she is a form of Shakti. She ordered her head on a nearby stone. The man put herad on, and in this way Maa Dhari Devi started being worshipped again.

The idol of the goddess in this temple changes its form three times a day. In the morning it takes the form of a girl, in the afternoon of a young woman, and at night of an old woman. Which is no less than a miracle.

Dhari Devi’s fierce form 2013 disaster (धारी देवी का रौद्र रूप 2013 की आपदा)

The 2013 Uttarakhand disaster (often retold in Uttarakhand folk tales) was caused by the wrath of Maa Dhari when the idol of Dhari Devi was removed for a hydroelectric project in Srinagar, Uttarakhand, on 16 June 2013. Along with Kedarnath, other areas of Uttarakhand also faced disaster, due to which Maa Dhari Devi wanted to understand that if the temples and rivers of Uttarakhand are touched, then I will be the cause of this disaster in the coming time. Even today this disaster is seen in Uttarakhand folktales, due to which people’s souls tremble.