Mehsana, Aug 13 (IANS) The historic town of Vadnagar resonated with the sound of 108 ‘damrus’ on Thursday as Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi inaugurated the state government’s ‘Vadnagar Shravanotsav’ and led the ceremonial launch of a Damru Yatra from Sharmishtha Lake to Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple.
The yatra, held as part of the Shravanotsav, brought together religious devotion and Vadnagar’s historic sites.
Sanghavi launched the procession by playing a damru himself.
The 108 skilled artistes performed simultaneously, with their instruments reverberating across the town.
A large number of residents and devotees participated in the procession.
The procession began at Sharmishtha Lake and passed through Arjun Bari, Bhagat na Galla and Juna Chachra before proceeding via Shri Swaminarayan Temple and Gopalji Temple. It concluded at Shri Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple.
Sanghavi took part in the procession and later offered prayers and performed worship at Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple. He also distributed prasad and Shiva kits among devotees.
Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister said: “The Shravanotsav at Vadnagar is establishing a new identity on the global stage through a combination of devotion and art.”
The event also marked the launch of the ‘Vadnagar Heritage Auto-Rickshaw’ service, aimed at supporting tourism in the historic town.
Sanghavi took a ride in one of the heritage auto-rickshaws after launching the service.
Following the religious programmes, the Deputy Chief Minister held a review meeting with senior officials on various development works in Vadnagar.
District Panchayat president Nitin Patel, senior leader Girish Rajgor, Unjha MLA Kirit Patel, Mehsana MLA Mukesh Patel, Kheralu MLA SardarbhaI Chaudhary and Vadnagar Municipality president Mitika Shah attended the programme.
Senior leaders Shubham Shah and Kamal, senior officials Rajkumar Beniwal and Kuldeep Arya, District Collector Shalini Duhan and other senior officials were also present, along with a large number of residents.
–IANS
mys/khz
