Keeping alive a tradition believed to be many centuries old, devotees raised a new flag pole at Sri Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib on Tuesday which also marked the start of the Jhanda Mela. According to the organisers, it is estimated that about 10 lakh devotees from Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and from others parts of India reached the place to seek blessings and visit the Jhanda Mela in Dehradun on the occasion.
Talking to this correspondent, Mahant Devendra Dass said that the 372nd birth anniversary of Guru Ram Rai is to be celebrated with enthusiasm and fervour. He said, “Many of the devotees come from different parts of the world every year for a darshan of Jhanda Sahib and attend the Jhanda Mela. It is the faith of the people which makes this occasion such a huge affair every year. Guru Ram Rai and Darbar Sahib have played an important role in preserving the tradition, religious and cultural values of this place. With their blessings, the city is developing every day,” he opined.
Earlier in the day, groups of devotees gathered to bring down the old flag pole in the morning. The new flag pole consisting of a single tree trunk about 90 feet tall was then bathed in the holy Panchgavya mixture. The flag pole was draped in 41 plain covers on the innermost section, 21 covers at the bottom and one main (Darshani) cover. The ritual of draping the Darshan Gilaf (cover) on the flag pole began in the afternoon. later at about 4;30 pm the process of lifting up the new holy flag pole began under the guidance of the Mahant. The raising of the flag pole was also projected live for the devotees sitting on the other side of the building.