Ahmedabad, Aug 3 (IANS) A Kalash Yatra organised to commemorate the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Maharaj reached Ahmedabad’s historic Jagannath Temple on Monday, where Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel joined saints and public representatives in welcoming the procession and participating in the ceremonial installation of the sacred Kalash.
The yatra, which began in Kashi and travelled through Ambaji, Patan, Siddhpur, Mehsana and Gandhinagar before arriving in Ahmedabad, forms part of the ‘Samrasta Sankalp Abhiyan’ being held to mark Guru Ravidas’s 650th birth anniversary year.
After its arrival, saints accompanying the procession were honoured, the Kalash was worshipped and later installed at the Jagannath Temple following a foot procession and circumambulation of the temple.
Addressing the gathering, Patel said the birth anniversary year of Guru Ravidas was being observed across the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Guru Ravidas had envisioned ‘Begampura’, an ideal society founded on love, equality and equal opportunities, while rejecting caste discrimination and social prejudice,” he said.
The Chief Minister also recalled Guru Ravidas’s association with Gujarat, stating that the saint had stayed at Sarsai village in Junagadh district and had spread the message of devotion, social harmony and humanity from the state.
Referring to the saint’s teachings, Patel said: “The ideals of Guru Ravidas are being realised today through the Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, as a result of which 25 crore people have come out of poverty.”
He further cited Guru Ravidas’s message, “Man Changa To Kathoti Mein Ganga”, to emphasise the importance of purity of mind over outward appearances.
Patel also referred to initiatives undertaken under the Prime Minister’s leadership, including the development of Guru Ravidas’s birthplace in Varanasi, the Sant Ravidas Express and the memorial-cum-research centre at Sagar in Madhya Pradesh.
He appealed to citizens to follow the saint’s teachings and contribute towards the vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047”.
State BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma said the Kalash carried sacred soil associated with Guru Ravidas and would remain at Jagannath Temple for public viewing for seven days before travelling to districts and villages across Gujarat.
“Citizens and saints from different communities had welcomed the yatra as a symbol of social harmony during the saint’s 650th birth anniversary year,” he said.
According to the organisers, the Kalash Yatra, which began from Indira Bridge Circle in Ahmedabad, received welcomes at 26 reception points before concluding at the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur.
–IANS
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