Ranchi, Aug. 15: Bol Bam and Bharat Mata Ki Jai reverberated in the air from Ranchi to Deoghar today as the last Somvari (Monday) of the holy month of Shravan coincided with the 70th Independence Day.
While the Tricolour was electronically raised to the top of a 290.68ft pole at Pahari Mandir atop Ranchi Hill for the first time on Independence Day, a sea of devotees, mostly clad in saffron, headed towards the sanctum sanctorum. Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, around 300km away, and Basukinath Dham in Dumka were equally abuzz with devotees.
According to Pahari Mandir authorities, around 40,000 devotees queued up from 5am to offer jal to Lord Shiva. Hoisting of the country’s largest national flag (99ft by 66ft) added to the fervour. Ranchi deputy commissioner Manoj Kumar today unfurled the Tricolour at the temple around 11am.
Spokesperson of Pahari Mandir Development Committee Mukesh Agarwal, speaking to The Telegraph yesterday, had hoped that the mighty Tricolour, which had suffered multiple wear and tear since its debut on January 23, would stand the test of wind and time this time. The flag has been procured from a Sharjah (the UAE)-based company, which has supplied flags to Jeddah that boasts one of the tallest flagpoles of the world.
Teenager Sanjay Suman was filled with pride to see the Tricolour fluttering atop the country’s tallest flagpole, which was bare since April. “It’s a rare Somvari, which coincided with Independence Day. On one hand, I offered water to Lord Shiva, and on the other, I had the opportunity to watch the hoisting of the national flag on India’s tallest mast so closely,” he said.
Miles away in the twin holy towns of Deoghar and Dumka, similar excitement prevailed. Public relations officer of Deoghar Bindeshwar Jha said devotees were found waiting in 10-12km queues for their turn to pray at Baidyanath Dham today.
“Though excitement is unparalleled, the number of devotees is lesser as compared to the third Somvari. After today, the headcount will certainly descend as Shravan formally ends on August 18,” said Jha.
Deputy director of IPRD, Dumka region, Ajay Nath Jha maintained that around 1.80 lakh devotees thronged Deoghar till this evening, while Basukinath witnessed a footfall of close to 100,000.
source: telegraph