The Famous Jhanda Saheb Mela is celebrated in the honour of arrival of “Shri Guru Ram Rai”..!

The Famous Jhanda Saheb Mela is celebrated in the honour of arrival of “Shri Guru Ram Rai”..!
(Mayank Arya)
The fare is known by the name “Jhanda Mela”, celebrated every year for 5 days after Holi. The Jhanda Mela is celebrated in the honour of arrival of “Shri Guru Ram Rai”( the eldest son of the seventh Sikh Guru “Guru Har Rai”) who arrived in Dehradun in 1676 after being sent in exile by his father Guru Har Rai.

The Jhanda Mela begins with putting a flag called “Jhanda Ji” at Darbar Sahib in Dehradun city, which is the place where Guru Ram Rai camped when he reached Dehradun and hoisted a flag at there.
The flag range up to 100 feet tall and is wrapped in 61 layers of cloth. The initial 40 layers are plain cloth followed by 20 layers of velvet cloth and a final outer covering of Darshini cloth and these layering have special religious meanings.
The name Dehradun is believed to be derived from the word “Deera” which means a “camp” which was established by Guru Ram Rai at Darbar-Sahib. The ritual of hoisting the flag continues from 1676.
The Darbar-Sahib servers as the Gurudwara where the Guru had established the seat of Udasin sect, among one of the highest position among the Sikh religion. People have high devotion for Darbar-Sahib and offer cloths for Jhanda Ji as their thanksgiving when there wishes are fulfilled.
Large number of devotees called “Sangat” especially from Punjab,Haryana,Himachal,Jammu and Uttar Pradesh arrive every year for flag ceremony at Darbar-Sahib and also to celebrate the fare. With the arrival of devotees of Guru the whole atmosphere of the city gets covered by the air of love and devotion.
The Jhanda fair is organised by Guru Ram Rai Trust . The trust is very much respected in northern India because of its services in the field of education, healthcare and many more noble humanitarian aids.