Annual event: Celebrations at Sadh Belo temple conclude

Baba Bankhandi Maharaj's three-day anniversary event came to an end on Thursday

SUKKUR: The three-day anniversary celebrations of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, which began on Tuesday afternoon, came to an end on Thursday at the historic Sadh Belo temple in Sukkur.

The celebrations ended with the Bhog Sahab custom, where food is placed at the feet of Baba Bankhandi Maharaj's statue and is also distributed among the devotees.

The chairperson of the Evacuee Trust Property Pakistan, Siddiqul Farooq, also paid a visit to Sadh Belo on Thursday, where he was briefed about the development work of the temple by Hindu Panchayat president Mukhi Eshwar Lal and Sadh Bello Parbandhak Committee chairperson Mukesh Kumar. Farooq assured his full cooperation in this regard.

The 11th disciple of Sadh Belo, Maharaj Gauri Shankar, had travelled from Mumbai, India to grace the occasion. He was presented with a crown by the Hindu Panchayat and the Sadh Belo Committee.

Every year thousands of devotees from across Sindh converge at Sadh Belo to participate in the anniversary celebrations. During these three days, arrangements are made to provide free food and water to the devotees, as well as providing them a comfortable space to spend the nights. The devotees, whose prayers from last year were answered, were seen distributing sweets, food, chilled milk and other things among the people.

Seven-year-old Vinita was one of the many who distributed sweets among the devotees. She prayed for a brother last year and her mother gave birth to a son in March. "We were five sisters but no brother, so I prayed for a brother and now my wish has been fulfilled," she said.

Elderly Shanti's only son had sustained heavy losses in his business and was under heavy debt. "Last year, I paid a visit to Sadh Belo and prayed for an improvement in my son's business and, thankfully, he has not only cleared his debt but is earning better than before," she said. Expressing her unwavering belief in Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, she said thousands of devotees come to pay homage to Baba and have their prayers fulfilled every year.

Devi Das, a resident of Jacobabad, had come to pray for a better future for his daughter, who is married but unhappy with her in-laws. "It is very painful to see one's daughter in pain, therefore I am here to ask Baba for special favours," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2015.