1.2 lakh take holy dip in sacred pond
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Nov 7: The historic annual Jhiri Mela, one of the largest fairs in North India, which commenced today amid tight security at village Jhiri, about 20 kilometres from Jammu, witnessed huge rush of devotees from within and outside Jammu and Kashmir who paid obeisance at Bawa Jitto shrine.
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Around 2 lakh devotees thronged the Bawa Jito shrine and the Mela on very first day while about 1.2 lakh devotees took holy dip in ‘Bawa-da-Talab’, a natural pond near the temple which is believed to have curative powers and paid obeisance to Bawa Jitto and Bua Kauri. Since midnight, the devotees started visiting the shrine. Standing in long queues the people were seen waiting for their turn to take darshan of ‘Bawa Jitto’.
The Jhiri Mela is organized every year on Kartik Purnima to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of a hard working farmer who preferred to kill himself instead of giving up to the unjust demands of a local landlord, but due to COVID pandemic, the Mela could not be organized in the year 2020 and 2021.
Devotees of Baba Jitto pay rich tribute to him by celebrating the fair in their festive looks and saluting his sacrifice for the liberation of the farming community. Nearly eight to 10 lakh devotees from across Jammu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and other parts of the country visit the fair every year.
The main attraction of the fair is exhibition of art and crafts, hybrid fruits, vegetables and awareness camps organized by various departments including Central Bureau of Communication, Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture, Sericulture, Rural Development, Handicrafts, Insurance companies, etc.
Hundreds of stalls, shops and kiosks selling sweets, pakoras, bangles, pottery, clothes, crockery, souvenirs, toys, books and CDs on Bawa Jitto, sports items like cricket bats, hockey sticks, footballs, farming tools, sugarcane juice witnessed huge rush of customers. The entertainment stalls, merry-go-rounds, circus and slides and ‘Maut Ka Kuaan’ were the source of attraction. The langars were organized by various Biradaries.
The ‘Mela’ was formally inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar along with DDC Chairman Bharat Bhushan. Both the dignitaries also paid obeisance to the shrine of Baba Jitto. The 10-day long Mela is being jointly organized by the Directorate of Tourism and district administration Jammu.
Mela Officer, Rajeev Khajuria (SDM Marh) told Excelsior that around 2 lakh devotees visited the fair till this evening and this figure is expected to increase as devotees are still thronging the Mela. He said the key feature of this year’s fair is daily ‘laser shows’ on lives of Mata Vaishno Devi and Baba Jitto. He said big LED displays on ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ from Central Bureau of Information, cultural programs, wrestling competitions, Dogra Pagri wearing competition and departmental stalls are also the main attractions of this year’s Mela.
He said adequate police force has been deployed to tackle with any law and order problem. Besides, a team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also been called to tackle any untoward incident. He said that to ensure free flow of pilgrims, the shops have been put up at a distance from the main shrine and the special emphasis has been given this year on sanitation and cleanliness.
“The elaborate arrangements have also been made for water, transport and electric supply”, the Mela Officer said adding about 150 buses are catering to and fro for the people thronging the shrine from Jammu Bus Stand.
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