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Devotees throng Shri Mahavirji Temple in Rajasthan
Thousands of devotees from various communities thronged the temple of Lord Mahavir in Shri Mahavirji to participate in the six-day annual fair which marked the conclusion of 24th Jain `tirthankar`s` 2600 birth anniversary celebrations.
Thousands of devotees from various communities thronged the temple of Lord Mahavir in Shri Mahavirji to participate in the six-day annual fair which marked the conclusion of 24th Jain 'tirthankar's' 2600 birth anniversary celebrations.
Spirited devotees chanting hymns praising Lord Mahavir's nudity carried the huge chariot with the tirthankar's idol to Gambir River and back to the temple during the annual rath yathra held on Saturday.
Meena community members carried the chariot towards the river while the gujjars led the procession back to the temple. Pilgrims from various rural communities including Jains, Minas, Gujjars, jats and ahirs actively took part in the fair, depicting national unity and communal harmony, N K Sethi, president of the managing committee of shri mahavirji said.
The devotees worship the lord praising his nudity, as they are emotionally attached to the diety, He said.
Besides the rath yathra, collective worship, devotional songs, dance, poetry recital, jayanti procession, jal yatra and kalasabhishek were the main attractions of the festival. Shri Mahavirji, on the banks of Gambhir River in Karauli district of eastern Rajasthan, assumed significance with the discovery of a sand stone idol of Mahavir 400 years ago.
A temple was constructed here soon to enshrine the idol at the instance of a devotee, Amar Chand Bilala, and the place was named after the tirthankara, Sethi said. This idol is replicated and adored by the Jain community world-over, Sethi said adding this year marked the conclusion of the 2600 birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir.
Bureau Report
Meena community members carried the chariot towards the river while the gujjars led the procession back to the temple. Pilgrims from various rural communities including Jains, Minas, Gujjars, jats and ahirs actively took part in the fair, depicting national unity and communal harmony, N K Sethi, president of the managing committee of shri mahavirji said.
The devotees worship the lord praising his nudity, as they are emotionally attached to the diety, He said.
Besides the rath yathra, collective worship, devotional songs, dance, poetry recital, jayanti procession, jal yatra and kalasabhishek were the main attractions of the festival. Shri Mahavirji, on the banks of Gambhir River in Karauli district of eastern Rajasthan, assumed significance with the discovery of a sand stone idol of Mahavir 400 years ago.
A temple was constructed here soon to enshrine the idol at the instance of a devotee, Amar Chand Bilala, and the place was named after the tirthankara, Sethi said. This idol is replicated and adored by the Jain community world-over, Sethi said adding this year marked the conclusion of the 2600 birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir.
Bureau Report