Pilgrimage: Twice-born Hindu religious leader’s 148th death anniversary celebrated

The three-day celebrations end in a pilgrimage to a temple in Sukkur.

SUKKUR:

In the middle of the calm waters of the River Indus in between Sukkur and Rohri, sits Sadhu Bela, an island where spiritual leader Baba Bakhandi Maharaj founded a religious site here in 1823. Every year thousands of pilgrims throng to it to commemorate his death anniversary in a three-day event. On Friday, the last day of the celebrations were in full swing for the 148th year.

Recitations from the holy book ‘Path Sahib’ run throughout the celebrations, from start to finish. A member of the religious Parbandhak Committee, Nand Lala, told The Express Tribune that the hymns, Arti, Bhajan and Satsang are also sung. There are quizzes on Baba Bankhandi Maharaj’s life for the children with Rs10,000, Rs5,000 and Rs,3000 in reward money.

Baba Bankhandi Maharaj came to Sadhu Bela when it was known as Menak Parbat (the island where the temple stands). He passed away at the age of 60 and his eighth gaddi nasheen (caretaker), Sant Harnam Das, began constructing the temple in 1889.

Baba Bakhandi Maharaj was originally settled in Nepal. Lala says that it is believed that he was born with spiritual powers and legend has it that the magicians of his era, filled with the fear by his powers, conspired against him and killed him when he was only 12 years old.

The spiritual leader was then reborn, either in India or Nepal, and travelled to Sukkur when he was 15. Here, he chose Menak Parbat, now Sadhu Bela, as his new home.

The Parbandhak Committee arranges for everything from boats for the pilgrims, distribution of free food, milk, water and soft drinks, to security inside and outside the temple. While Muslims are allowed to visit, they are not allowed inside during the celebrations.

The temple is spread over nine acres and is divided into the main place of worship, Baba Bankhandi Maharaj’s personal asthana (den), his shish’s (students) living quarters, a library that houses books on religion and Hindu mythology, separate bhandars (dining rooms) for women and men, separate places of worship for men and women, washrooms and a huge garden.

Pilgrims gather at the temple from all over Sindh, many of them would journey from Balochistan, Punjab and other parts of the country as well. Each person is charged Rs5 as tax for crossing the river. The money is collected and distributed among the boatmen. Earlier the government used to give us a Rs200,000 grant for the celebrations, but it was increased to Rs1 million two years ago, said Lala.

Baba Rajnesh, Baba Bankhandi Maharaj’s 12th gaddi nasheen, died in India two months ago. His 13th Gadi Nasheen has yet to be named.

On Friday, the pilgrims prayed for Pakistan’s prosperity and asked the gods to keep the River Indus’s water flow smooth.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2011.