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Kashi gears up for Ravidas Jayanti
The district administration is leaving no stone unturned in making all arrangements at Seer Govardhanpur in order to make the programme a big hit
On the outskirts of Varanasi, Seer Govardhanpur area is all set to greet devotees on Ravidas Jayanti, falling on February 5.
Though Ravidas Jayanti is observed in many districts, the celebrations here in Varanasi’s Seer Govardhanpur, said to be the birthplace of the 15th Century poet-saint Guru Ravidas, are special.
Other than the saint’s followers from across the globe, who are expected to arrive in large numbers, VIPs are also likely to visit the mela which has remained politically significant for the past 15 years.
The district administration is leaving no stone unturned in making all arrangements at Seer Govardhanpur in order to make the programme a big hit.
District magistrate S Rajalingam said, “I have reviewed the ongoing preparations for Ravidas Jayanti celebrations and have also inspected Seer Govardhanpur area. All the departments concerned have been directed to complete the work to ready the fair area before the commencement of Ravidas Jayanti celebrations and arrival of pilgrims. Directives for making necessary arrangements for VIP movement have also been issued.”
With the formation of Yogi Adityanath government in the state in 2017, many projects for the development of the birthplace of Sant Ravidas were launched. The initial phase of Sant Ravidas birthplace development project, including the langar hall (community hall) and toilet block of ₹5.35 crore near the Ravidas temple was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2021. Work to develop a park and installation of a bronze statue of Sant Ravidas and road upgrade were also proposed.
Shri Guru Ravidas Janamsthal Charitable Trust’s Kishanlal Saroa said that preparations are on in full swing.
“We have made the langar hall fully operational now and pilgrims visiting Ravidas temple to take part in the birth anniversary celebrations will be served food there. The district administration has established blocks of 100 toilets in the area where the tent city has been set up in the vicinity of Ravidas temple to accommodate the pilgrims. In the past years, temporary toilets were set up for the pilgrims.”
Ravidas Jayanti celebrations start almost a week before the main festive day. But it started getting momentum with the arrival of pilgrims from Punjab in special trains including the group led by trust’s chairman Sant Niranjandas.
