Who Were the Aanchhris?
In Garhwali belief, the high meadows, lakes and peaks are home to the aanchhris (also called acheris or pariyan) — beautiful, powerful mountain fairies. They are said to love music, bright colours and young people, and to be easily offended. Shepherds were traditionally careful not to whistle, wear red or play music loudly in certain meadows for fear of attracting them. Anyone the aanchhris took a liking to might fall ill, lose their mind or be carried away altogether.
The Story of Jeetu
Jeetu Bagdwal was a young man from Garhwal, remembered in most versions as coming from a village in the Tehri region. He was handsome, cheerful and, above all, a gifted player of the bansuri (bamboo flute). People said his music could make the birds fall silent.
It was the season of ropai, the transplanting of rice seedlings, when families call their married daughters and sisters home to help in the fields and share the celebrations. Jeetu set out to bring his sister Sobhni home from her husband's village for the ropai.
On the way he stopped to rest on a high, lonely ridge and began to play his flute. The music drifted over the meadows and reached the aanchhris. Enchanted, they gathered around him and declared that he must come with them forever.
A Bargain with the Fairies
Jeetu begged them for time. His family's fields had to be planted, his sister was waiting, and his mother would be heartbroken. The aanchhris finally agreed to let him go home and complete the ropai — but warned that on the appointed day they would come to take him.
Jeetu went home, brought his sister and began the work in the fields with his family and the villagers. The transplanting went on amid music and laughter. Then, in the middle of the work, the promised moment came. In front of everyone, Jeetu — and in some versions the pair of oxen ploughing beside him — vanished into the earth of the field, taken by the aanchhris.
The Story Becomes a Ritual
In parts of Tehri Garhwal, Jeetu's story is not just told — it is performed. Over several days, villages stage the Jeetu Bagdwal dance-drama, a ritual performance accompanied by drums and songs in which the episodes of his life are acted out. Some participants are believed to be possessed by the aanchhris or by Jeetu himself. The climax recreates the ropai and his disappearance in the field.
These performances are held only occasionally, often after many years, and are a major event that draws families from far and wide.
What the Story Tells Us
- The pull of the high mountains: The meadows are beautiful but dangerous, and Garhwali stories often warn against getting too close to their spirits.
- The bond between brother and sister: Calling sisters home for festivals and farming is one of the most loved customs in the hills.
- The power of music: In Garhwal, music is believed to move both people and gods — the same idea behind the drumming of the jagar.