Religious event: Three-day festivities at Shadhani Darbar come to an end

SUKKUR: The three-day celebrations of the 308th birthday of Sant Shadha Ram came to an end on Saturday. The celebrations were inaugurated on Thursday by Sant Yudhishtar Lal, who is a disciple of the Shadhani Darbar in Reharki, District Ghotki. Lal and a delegation of 72 pilgrims, including women and children, are currently visiting different temples in the district.

On Friday night, a mass wedding was held at the darbar where 19 couples were wed with blessings by Lal. The couples were all given dowries and gifts by affluent members of the Hindu community. Low-income families wait year-round for the celebrations so that they can get their children married without spending a rupee.



Another regular feature of the anniversary is the custom of 'jariyan', in which 13-year-old Hindu boys are made to wear a holy thread around their necks. This custom is similar to the custom of circumcision in Muslims. This year 17 boys participated in this custom. Apart from other religious festivities, free medical camps were also organised, during which all the patients were provided free check-up and medicines.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2016.