It was a sight to see thousands of electric lamps lighted on the banks of the Ganga at Har- ki-Pauri and earthen lamps floating on the river. Amidst devotional chants, fireworks and colourful holi, Multan Jyot mahotsav was celebrated at Har-ki-Pauri on Sunday.
The festival saw congregation of thousands of devotees from Delhi, Sonepat, Karnal and Panipat and nearby regions who come every year to offer prayers and earthen lamps in ganga. Even the localites played ‘dudh ki holi with the people of Multan coming all the way from Pakistan.
The festival was celebrated with full gaiety and religious fervour. After offering milk to ganga at har Ki Pauri, pilgrims mixed milk with ganga water and showered milky water with water guns on each other. Speaking to The Pioneer, president of Akhil Bhartiya Yuva Multan Jyot Samiti Mahendra Nagpal said, “This festival is not limited to only people of Multan but has encompassed all communities of India. People offer small lamps in ganga river asking the goddess for fulfillment of wishes.”
The evening saw duplicates of famous Bollywood stars and the political leaders participate in the celebrations. Nagpal told the Pioneer, “Amongst others, Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, BJP president from Delhi Satish Upadhyay offered milk to the ganga at Har Ki Pauri. Tele actor Amit who is duplicate of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachhan, Abhinandan Pathak Modi who is duplicate of PM Narendra Modi and duplicates of Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare were the main attractions in the evening Mahotsav.”
The festival has its roots way back in 1911, when a devotee Roop Chand of Multan region had walked on foot all the way from Pakistan with a message of universal brotherhood to Haridwar and offered a jyot (lamp) to ganga river. later on this took the form of festival and every year people of Multan who are settled in India come to Haridwar to mark this fest. People of other communities also gather in solidarity with the Multan pilgrims at Har Ki pauri and offer prayers.