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Masani Fair
Haryana's most famous fair is held in honour of the goddess of small-pox,
Masani whose temple is in Gurgaon village. There is a legend about this
temple.
There was a shrine, sacred to the goddess Devi, locally
known as Masani at the village of Kesopur in the Delhi district. Some
two hundred and fifty years ago according to tradition, the Goddess appeared
in a dream to one Singha, a Jat of some influence and a resident at the
village of Gurgaon. The Devi communicated to Singha that she wished
to leave Kesopur and directed him to construct a shrine for her in his
village. At the same time, she authorised the fortunate Singha to appropriate
all the offerings at her shrine. The orders of the goddess were promptly
carried out. The shrine was built and flourished, its fame spreading far
and wide .
A visit to the shrine is an antidote for small-pox and
women from great distances flock to it with their children to obtain this
benefit. The greatest crowd is in April-May but all the year around steady
stream of people flows, Monday being the favourite day. Singha and his
heirs enjoyed the offerings for two hundred years.
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