Week long Jhiri Mela begins, thousands pay obeisance

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 25:- Thousands of devotees drawn from different parts of Jammu region and neighbouring States thronged the Jhiri mela on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima today which was  inaugurated by Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Ch. Sukhnandan Kumar.
There was hustle and bustle every where and entire Jhiri Kalyanpur was giving a festive look. Some devotees were busy in paying obeisance at Baba Jitto and Bua Kori Devasthan, others were taking dip in holy waters and some were enjoying the fun folic.
A Dangal Competition was also organised by the Mela Management Committee in which professional wrestlers from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and various parts of J&K participated.
In addition various camps and exhibition stalls were organized by the State Government departments to increase awareness among the people about various programmes launched by them. There was heavy rush of people and the devotees were seen in long queues waiting for paying obeisance at the Devasthan.
Besides, a cultural programme depicting rich cultural heritage of the Dogras was organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
During the mela the twelve Jyotiling Darshan Mela was also organized by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. It was inaugurated by Ch. Sukhnandan in presence of a large number of devotees.
Minister of State for Public Works (R&B) and Revenue Sunil Kumar Sharma, MLA Jammu East Rajesh Gupta, MLA RS Pura Gagan Bhagat, MLA Ramnagar R S Pathania, MLA Ramban Neelam Langeh, MLA Doda Shakti Parihar,  MLA Hiranagar Kuldeep Kumar,  MLA Chhamb Krishan Lal Bhagat, MLA Bhaderwah Daleep Singh Parihar, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu Simrandeep Singh, Inspector General of Police, Jammu Danesh Rana, DIG Jammu-Kathua-Samba Range Ashkoor Ahmad Wani, SSP Jammu Uttam Chand, Chief Engineer PHE and Irrigation Rajeev Gandotra, Directors of various departments  besides others were also present on the occasion.
The Minister also witnessed the  Dangal competition later. He lauded the efforts of Jhiri Mela Management Committee and the district administration for making excellent arrangements for the successful conduct of Jhiri Mela. The swings, slides, marigold and other games including the art and craft of the artists kept the children on their toes the whole day.
Earlier the Minister inspected awareness camps and exhibition stalls  installed by various Government departments including Department of Agriculture, Sericulture,  Advertising and Visual Publicity,  Floriculture, Reserve Bank of India, Directorate of Handicrafts, Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited, Department of Animal Husbandry,  Horticulture and Sheep Husbandry . The stalls have been established to make the people aware about the various welfare schemes being implemented by the State Government for their benefit.
Sub Divisional Magistrate, Marh Hitesh Gupta informed that thousands of devotees paid obeisance at the holy shrines of Baba Jitto Devsthan and Baba Talab. The Jhiri Mela Management Committee has constructed new Ladies Bathing Ghats and installed high mast lights for the convenience of the devotees, he added.

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