 An important festival held in Chamba is known as the "Suhi Mata Mela".It is held annually in March–April for four days to commemorate the sacrifice made by the queen of Chamba with her life, to bring water to the town.The legend associated with this festival and the Sui Mata temple, built in memory of the queen (wife of Raja Sahil Varman), relates to the sacrifice she made to fulfill a prophecy in a dream, which said that water from the Sarota stream could only be accessed through an aqueduct if the queen or her son was sacrificed.