Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, June 26: Thousands of devotees from various parts of Jammu region and Punjab and Himachal Pradesh thronged the shrine of Baba Chamliyal for annual fair, near the International Border (IB) in Ramgarh area of Samba district today.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, popularly known as Baba Chamliyal, was considered as a symbol of Indo-Pakistan bonhomie in the past but the shrine did not host any delegations from Pakistan since June 2018 after four BSF personnel, including an Assistant Commandant, were martyred in an unprovoked cross-border firing.
Click here to watch video
In accordance with the past practice, Commandant of 101st Battalion of the BSF, Alkesh Kumar Sinha was the first to offer a ‘Chadar’ on the grave of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, in a pre-dawn function to mark the commencement of the annual Mela.
“This shrine is 322-year-old and enjoys a lot of respect among the people from all the religions including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs,” a member of the Shrine Management Committee said.
He claimed that District administration and the local BSF Battalion is working with the Shrine Committee for the success of the annual Mela,” he added.
He said adequate security arrangements have been made for the visiting devotees at the shrine during Mela. More than 50,000 people said to have visited the shrine today.
Head of the Shrine Committee, Baba Chamliyal Charan Das expressed happiness over the peaceful conclusion of the annual Mela and thanked local volunteers for their service over the past fortnight to meet the requirements of the visiting devotees.
BJP president for JKUT Sat Sharma, besides local MLA Dr D K Manyal, S S Slathia MLA Samba and Chander Prakash Ganga MLA Vijaypur also visited the shrine to offer prayers.
It is pertinent to mention here that this annual fair is observed on the fourth Thursday of June every year. It is believed that by applying Sharbat (Holy water) and Shakker (Good earth) from this shrine complex, on the affected skin part of a skin patient, any skin related disease of a person is cured. Many skin patients from J&K and outside also visit this shrine to get relief from the skin diseases.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
