Excelsior Correspondent
AKHNOOR, June 17: “The contribution of founder of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Gulab Singh is unimaginably significant because unlike other rulers who changed boundaries of the country from within, this great monarch expanded India far and wide by conquering parts of China, Tibet and even Afghanistan.”
This was stated by Vikramaditya Singh, Trustee of Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust and former MLC, after paying tribute to the great Maharaja while celebrating his 200th Coronation Day at Jia Pota Ghat in Akhnoor today.
Vikramaditya Singh said that Maharaja Gulab Singh was not only the warrior and able administrator but also a secular person as there was complete freedom of worship during his regime. He said that Maharaja Gulab Singh never forgot his roots and was approachable by the people. Click here to watch video
Raising serious concern over the communal tensions, Vikramaditya Singh asked people of J&K to remain vigilant from the anti-national elements who are trying to create wedge between the communities for their vested interests. He appealed to the people of Jammu Kashmir to maintain communal harmony and universal brotherhood at all costs to defeat nefarious designs.
Earlier, the function commenced with paying of the floral tributes to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maharaja Gulab Singh by Vikramaditya Singh along with Martand Singh, Trustee of Maharaja Gulab Singh Memorial Trust, Sham Lal Sharma, senior BJP leader and former minister and K P Singh, Chairman of the Maharaja Gulab Singh Raj Tilak Celebration Committee. The priests of the J&K Dharmarth Trust performed the rituals amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras.
Sham Lal Sharma, senior BJP leader and former minister, in his address, said Maharaja Gulab Singh restored order in his territories, reduced refractory chiefs and through remarkable campaigns connected Kishtwar, Baltistan, Ladakh and Gilgit. He appealed to the youth of Jammu region to play their vital role in reviving the lost legacy of Dogra valour during the past seven decades.
Martand Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir State was established by not only Maharaja Gulab Singh but all the great ancestors of today’s youth of the region. The need of the hour is to once again come forward and work for the overall development of the region, he said.
Yuva Rajput Sabha President Rajan Singh Happy, Zorawar Singh Jamwal, Chairman of Team Jammu and Maha Mandaleshwar Mahant Rameshwar Dass also spoke on the occasion.
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