About two lakh people partook of the Prasad in the famous Mela of Kainchi Dham here on Saturday. Devotees could be seen thronging the Ashram to pay obeisance to Neem Karoli Baba and lord Hanuman till late in the evening.
The Kainchi Mela is being held here every year since Neem Karoli Baba ceremoniously installed the idol of lord Hanuman here on June 15, 1962.
Devotees of the saint from across India and abroad arrive here in large numbers on this occasion every year. After the ceremonial prayer during the wee hours, the bhandara was started at 8 am.
By 1 pm about 80,000 people had partaken of the consecrated food. Long queues of devotees could be seen till late in the evening as multitudes waited patiently for the turn to partake of the Prasad. Till evening about two lakh devotees had arrived here and consumed the consecrated food. From Bhawali to Kainchi, individuals and commercial establishments had set up stalls serving sherbet and cool drinks for the devotees. The police force was also deployed on the route in considerable numbers. Various stalls had also been set up as part of the fair.
The Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar MP and BJP State president Ajay Bhatt, Nainital district magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman, SSP Sunil Meena and other officials were also among the multitudes of devotees who arrived here on the occasion.