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Jambheswar Fair
The Jambheswar fair is in honour of Jambheswari who is the founder of the
Bishnoi sect. Every year two fairs are held in his honour on Phalgun Budi
Amavasya and Ashivan Budi Amavasya in Mukm village in Bikaner district. Phalgun
Budi Amavasya is the biggest fair.
The Bishnois form a separate sect and do not mix with other Hindus and
worship Vishnu in his Jambhaji incarnation. The Bishnois believe that the city
of Viskramaditya, with its throne of gold, is buried beneath the sand dune where
the saint died. Jambheshwarji was the thirty-second descendant of Vikramaditya.
According to legend, he was found under a tree and tended cows till the age of
twelve. He is supposed to have been dumb in childhood but wrought a self-miracle
which gave him speech. He later gave up the occupation of cowherd and settled
down on the top of a hill where he gave the Bishnois the twenty-nine articles
of their religion. The word 'Bisnoi' is a combination of 'bees' (twenty) and 'noi' (nine)-
The followers of the
twenty-nine articles of faith laid down by Jambeshwarji.
Sitabari Fair
Sitabari is a small place near Kelwara village in the Sahabad tehsil of Kota
district and the fair is held from Baisakh Sudi Punam to Jeth Budi Amavasya.
Sitabari is situated in a picturesque forest. According to legend, it marks the
spot where Sita was left by Lakshman at the behest of Rama. There are four tanks
filled by natural springs. The water is said to
cure people of various ailments, particularly mental diseases. The water in
these Kunda is cold in summer and warm in winter and the kunds never go
dry. The Sitabari fair attracts thousands people who take a bath in the Sita
Kund, the
Laxman Kund and the Suraj Kund-which are regarded as holy as the Ganges.
Priesthood at the shrine is hereditary and there are various priests attached
to the kunds. No offerings are made at the fourth kund which is knows as Bharat
Kund because it is considered inauspicious to do so.
Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Urs of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer is the biggest attraction
for the Muslims. Over two lakh Muslims assemble here to pay homage to the memory
of the saint at his dargah (mausoleum). The localities around the dargah
present gay spectacle on this occasion. Many devotees arrange feasts,
known as Niyaz for the poor. Rich among the devotees arrange qawwalis and
recitations of Milad Sharif. During the qawwalis,
many spectators go into trance, quivering and moving their bodies briskly,
repeating the refrain of the qawwalis along with qawwals. This state of trance
is known as hal and often scores of people are affected by it.
Pilgrims make rich offerings at the holy spot where the Khwaja is entombed in
the dargah. The Khwaja is believed to possess miraculous powers and can ensure
the birth of a son, cure ailments, ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.
From the architectural point of view the dargah is unique.
Galiyakot Urs
The Urs at Galiyakot attracts Davoodi Bohras from all over the country.
Galiyakot is a small village situated on the banks of the Mahi river in
the interior of the Sagwara tehsil of picturesque Dungarpur district.
It is the place where Syedi Fahruddin, the venerated saint of the Bohras
lies buried.
The shrine of the saint is near the village. The mausoleum has a beautiful dome sixteen metres
highs and six metres wide. There is a mosque by the side of
the shrine where women can offer prayers. There are a number of graves around
the dargah and in one of them lies buried Bhai Sahib, the son of the saint.
The Son of
Tarmal, Syedi, Fakrhuddin in his wanderings came to the village
of Galiyakot where he died and was buried. He performed many miracles, and pilgrims
from India and abroad visit the shrine to seek his intercession. His Urs is
celebrated on the twenty seventh of Moharrum, according to the Egyptian calendar
which differs from the Hijri Calendar followed by Sunni Muslims.
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