JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday visited Jhiri Mela and paid obeisance at Baba Jitto Shrine in Jammu.
Speaking at the occasion, the LG said that the supreme sacrifice made by Baba Jitto is exemplary for each one of us to emulate.
“Our farmers are symbol of hard work & dignity. An enlightened society should ensure justice to the community, which is playing a vital role in serving & nurturing humanity,” he said.
“We must focus on community driven development. Locals, PRIs members and other stakeholders of the society should come together to create an institutional mechanism to improve the facilities for devotees visiting this historical Mela,” he added.
The 10-day-long annual Jhiri Mela to commemorate the martyrdom of Baba Jitto & Bua Kodi had commenced Monday after a two-year gap due to the pandemic with thousands of devotees from across the country thronging the fair to seek blessings at Baba Jittoo temple.
The fair, being jointly organised by the directorate of tourism in collaboration with district administration from November 7 to 16, is held every year during ‘Karthik Purnima’ to pay obeisance at Baba Jittoo temple in village Jhiri to seek blessings.
Over 10 lakh devotees from across the Jammu region and neighbouring states including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana are expected to take part in the fair to commemorate the sacrifice of the Baba, a farmer who gave up his life in protest against the oppressive demands of the ‘zamindar’ (landlords) about 500 years ago. His daughter, as per the legend, also took her life by jumping on her father’s funeral pyre.
The devotees also take a customary dip in the Baba-da-Talab, a natural pond four km from the temple which is believed to have curative powers.
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