By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 16 Mar: The devotees of the Guru Ram Rai Darbar brought a 90-foot tall new holy flag pole (Shri Jhande Ji) amidst chants praising Guru Ram Rai and Mahant Devendra Das, here, today.
To witness this sacred occasion, devotees from India and abroad reached the Darbar Sahib in the thousands.
At 6:30 a.m., devotees started reaching Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School, Bombay Bagh. Mahant Devendra Das appeared before the devotees and showered his blessings over them. Under the mentorship of the Mahant, the Sangat recited the Ardas (holy prayer) and at 8 a.m., the devotees lifted the new flagpole on their shoulders and marched towards Darbar Sahib. On reaching the Darbar Sahib premises, the devotees danced to the melodious sound of dhols and nagaare.
The entire Pathri Bagh area turned spiritual. The devotees walked with new flagpole from Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School, Bombay Bagh, to THDC Chowk, past Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital and reached the Lal Pul Chowk. From there, the devotees walked towards Matawala Bagh, Saharanpur Chowk and reached the Darbar Sahib at 9:30 a.m. Throughout the route, the people of the city welcomed the Sangat with flowers in their hands. Thousands had been waiting with enthusiasm and faith to witness this historic and sacred occasion. The local people welcomed the devotees carrying the new flagpole and also offered them refreshment all along the route.
The new holy flagpole has been made with wood of ‘Sal’ tree. For the last two months, many artists prepared the new Jhande Ji at Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School, Bombay Bagh.
This year the new flagpole will be raised at the Darbar Sahib premises. From Saturday late evening, itself, the premises of Shri Darbar Sahib were abuzz with activity. Thousands of devotees from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and nearby states had arrived by Saturday evening.
In his message, Mahant Devendra Das Maharaj said that the Jhande ji fair delivers a message of love, peace, harmony, brotherhood, faith and humanity. In the fair, people of all religions arrive to obtain divine blessing.
The Jhande Ji will be raised on 19 March and, with this, the Shri Jhande Ji Fair will begin. According to the Darbar Sahib, lakhs of devotees are about to arrive for this holy occasion and fair.
The Chief Manager of the Mela Organising Committee, Madhusudan Semwal, stated that the Darbar Sahib has made adequate arrangements for the stay of the devotees. Sufficient arrangements have been made at various Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School branches like Talab, Bindal, Patel Nagar, Bhandari Bagh, Raja Road, etc. Besides this, the various ‘Dharamshalas’ of Dehradun have also been booked for the stay of Sangat devotees. Around a dozen ‘langar’ sites have also been prepared. In order to ensure the security arrangements, the ‘Mela Thana’ and Mela Hospital will also be established soon.
