Kapal Mochan Mela Information For Students

Kapal Mochan Mela is annually held in the Kartik Month as per traditional Hindu calendar followed in North India. The main religious event includes taking bath in a sacred pond at Kapal Mochan and a fair. It is believed that the water in the tank is filled by the Saraswati River. Kapal Mochan is around 17 km northeast of Jagadhari Town near Bilaspur in Yamunanagar District in Haryana.

Kapal Mochan Mela Dates:

• 2020: No Kapal Mochan Mela in Yamunanagar this year due to Covid-19 – A large number of devotees from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan take a holy dip in the sarovar at the Kapal Mochan Gurdwara Sahib every year.

Kapal Mochan is mentioned in the Mahabharata and Puranas. The popular belief is that taking holy dip here will help in redemption of sins and will help in attaining Moksha.

It is believed that Pandavas and Draupadi visited the place during their exile period in the Mahabharata.

Nearly 500,000 people participate in the fair. The mela begins couple of days before Kartik Purnima. The main fair is on the Kartik Purnima or full moon day in Kartik Month.

Guru Nanak Dev stopped here during one of his udasis in 1584 and have spoke to a large gathering disputing the ritual of Sootak (the concept that a newborn baby is born impure). According to Nanak, Sootak is there on Mind when it is entangles in vices. Adi Granth states: ਮਨ ਕਾ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਹੈ ਜਿਹਵਾ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਕੂੜੁ ॥ ਅਖੀ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਵੇਖਣਾ ਪਰ ਤ੍ਰਿਅ ਪਰ ਧਨ ਰੂਪੁ ॥ ਕੰਨੀ ਸੂਤਕੁ ਕੰਨਿ ਪੈ ਲਾਇਤਬਾਰੀ ਖਾਹਿ ॥. A Gurdwara is located with temple which commemorates his visit.

The place is also sacred to the Sikh community as Guru Gobind Singh visited the place. Guru Gobind Singh visited Kapal Mochan after Battle of Bhangani in 1688 and gave robes of honor (turbans) to soldiers who fought this victorious war against Hill Rulers. He also had discourse with priests of temple on Durga. He gave Hukamnama to temple priests which is still preserved by them. Also, Guru Gobind Singh and his soldiers get temple, rid of those people, who pollute the pond water, by doing toilets on short distances from ponds. In Dasam Granth, Khalsa Mahima (the praise of Khalsa) and Charitar 71 describe a few events happened during Gobind Singh’s stay at Kapal Mochan.

Kapal Mochan Mela Location Map:

Other nearby holy places include Shri Badri Narain, Shri Mantra Devi Shri Kedar Nath, Shri Rin Mochan, Shri Suraj Kund and Shri Saraswati Udgam Sthal.