Shravani Mela, one of the largest religious congregations in India’s eastern region, will be organised on July 22. In this event, devotees from various parts of the country and abroad visit Deoghar during the month of Shravan and offer prayers at Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.
The Deoghar district administration has left no stone unturned for the preparations. This is because a high number of Kawanriyas are likely to arrive at the event this year. Kawanriyas pilgrims walk barefoot to Deoghar to pour the water on the shivling chanting Bol Bam. The city council has penned a letter to the district administration regarding the Shravani Mela’s proper management. The administration has assured that they will take proper steps for the successful execution of the fair.
To ensure law and order, crowd and crime control in the fair, the posting of trainee sub-collectors of Jharkhand Administrative Service is from 18th July to 19th August. All the officers have been given the power of Executive Magistrate and they will be under the Deputy Commissioner.
Shravani Mela is going to start from 22nd July. Preparations are going on for this on a war footing. The administration has also started preparing for security in the fair. Deoghar district has got 12000 additional police forces for Shravani Mela. Whereas 3000 additional security forces will be deployed in Basukinath. Apart from this, about 1000 DSPs, Inspectors, SIs and ASIs will be on Shravani Mela duty at both places.
The officers who have been deputed to Deoghar includes Rajesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Gop, Mukesh Kumar, Om Priyadarshi Gupta, Sanjay Kumar Shukla, Pramod Kumar Gupta, Kanchan Mukherjee, Lalit Narayan Tiwari, Sanjay Kumar, Manoranjan Jha, Laxman Yadav, Kamlesh Kumar Das, Mohammad Hussain, Shri Ravinandan Oraon, Shravan Kumar Bhagat, Vijay Oraon, Murari Nayak, Manoj Kumar Ravi, Ambika Kumari, Vijay Ranjan Tirkey, Khep Lal Ram, Vijay Ram, Dev Lal Karmali, Jaya Kumari, Deepak Kumar Mishra, Man Kujur, Vijayalakshmi Sinko, Somnath Oraon.
Apart from these officers who have were deputed for Basuki fair are Lal Bal Kishan Nath Shahdev, Jayant Kumar Tiwari, Ashutosh Thakur, Sudarshan Thakur, Kalinder Sahu, Manoj Kumar Chaurasia, Shiv Balak Prasad, Bipin Chandra Vishwas, Prabhat Ranjan Gyani, Prem Kumar, Sunil Kumar Murmu, Pradhan Hansda.
The Kanwar Yatra, the defining feature of the Shravani Mela, is a testament to unwavering devotion. Kanwarias undertake a challenging 105-kilometer trek, often barefoot, from Sultanganj to Baba Baidyanath Dham. They carry decorated ‘Kanwars,’ structures made of bamboo and adorned with colorful fabrics, filled with holy water from the Ganges River. Chanting hymns of “Bol Bam” (meaning “Hail Shiva”), these pilgrims demonstrate immense physical and mental dedication.
The Shravani Mela goes beyond the physical act of the Kanwar Yatra. It embodies the core Hindu values of sacrifice, self-discipline, and unwavering faith. Devotees believe that offering the holy Ganges water at the Baba Baidyanath Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 sacred representations of Lord Shiva’s light, brings immense blessings, washes away sins, and grants wishes.
