Uttarakhand CM Dhami plants saplings on Harela Festival

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 16 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Sunday, planted saplings at the CM's residence on the occasion of the Harela festival. 
"Harela means greenery. This festival is an indicator of greenery and the beginning of the new season. Sawan begins with the Harela festival in Uttarakhand", said CM Dhami. 
Furthermore, stating the significance of the festival, Geeta Dhami, wife of Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "This festival is also celebrated as the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Five or seven types of grains are sown in the basket 9 days before the Harela festival and it is harvested on the day of Harela.".
"It is believed that the bigger the Harela, the more profit the farmer will get in agriculture", she added. 
Harela is an annual festival celebrated on July 16 in Uttarakhand. 
Notably, the annual Kanwar is also going on in the state. It commenced on July 4.
The 'Kanwar Yatra' is an annual pilgrimage for Lord Shiva's devotees. The Kanwariyas visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga and then worship the God with the same water.