Over 10 lakh people attend Bhavnath fair in Junagadh; procession by sadhus the biggest draw

The Bhavnath fair at the foothill of Mt Girnar in Junagadh saw more than 10 lakh visitors on Monday, the Mahashivratri day. The show stealers were naked sadhus (saints) who with their swords, darts, daggers, lathis and mashals (torches) in their hands performed gymnastics on their way to their procession.

To manage the large crowd that was expected on Shivratri, the authorities had done all the arrangements. The route of the procession for the naked saints was cleaned and barricaded by poles at both sides. 

The procession passed through the route and later they jumped into Mrugi Kund for their religious bath. It is believed that Adi Shankracharya had first formed Shambhu Dal with naked armed saints to protect Hindu religion. The naked saints are the warriors of the Dal. It is said that they do not wear clothes as they have left the society and relations. They do not have any needs such as clothes or money. The aim of the procession, or 'parade', is to show people that the warriors are prepared to do anything to save the religion. The visitors to the fair were amazed at the techniques displayed by the naked saints. When asked about the skills, Mahant Raj Bharti of Haryana said: "Sab Girnari maharaj ki kripa hai." 

"Those who serve their 'gurus' can do this," he said, adding that he could perform various techniques of lathi-fight. He has not taken any medicine or injection yet and it's been 28 years since he left his social life.

Team DNA/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication