Yogi, Channi, Rahul, Priyanka pray at temple in Kashi
VARANASI: Uttar Pradesh and Punjab chief ministers Yogi Adityanath and Charanjeet Singh Channi, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi and lakhs of devotees offered prayers at Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Janma Asthan Mandir (temple), in Seer Goverdhan area of Varanasi, on Sant Ravidas’s 645th birth anniversary on Wednesday.
All of them also extended greetings to the people on Ravidas jayanti.
Channi reached the temple at around 5 am and offered prayers. Thereafter, he met Sant Niranjnan Das and took his blessings. He also heard ‘armitvani’, containing hymns of Guru Ravidas.
Niranjan Das is chairman of Shri Guru Ravidas Janma Sthan Public Charitable Trust, Seer Goverdhanpur, Varanasi.
He is also ‘gaddi nashin’ (spiritual leader) of Dera Sach Khand, which is a religious and social organization (dera) based in Ballan village near Jalandhar, Punjab. It was founded by devotees of Ravidas. There are lakhs of followers of Ravidas in Punjab and they had formed a new religion called Ravidassia.
“On Ravidas jayanti, I paid obeisance at Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan mandir in Varanasi. Let us imbibe his teachings of love, compassion, mutual tolerance and oneness of mankind,” Channi later tweeted.
Before visiting the Ravidas temple, Channi visited Kashi Vishwanath temple and offered prayers there.
At around 10 am, Yogi Adityanath offered prayers to Sant Ravidas at the temple and then met Sant Niranjan Das and other sants and followers of Ravidas. He also ate prasad at langar on the temple premises.
In a brief interaction with media persons outside the temple, Yogi said, “Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the double engine government of BJP is working diligently for the overall development of the holy birthplace of Sant Ravidas. A langar hall has already been constructed. A park is under construction. A bronze statue of Sant Ravidas installed in Seer Govardhan is giving the message of social harmony.”
He further said: “The state government is working for beautification and tourism development of Seer Govardhan. It is our good fortune that Seer Govardhan, the birthplace of Sant Ravidas, is located in Kashi.”
Yogi said that connectivity to the area had been improved.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh offered prayers at Ravidas temple at around 11 am.
Congress leaders Priyanka and Rahul offered prayers at the temple at around noon and took blessings of Sant Niranjan Das, who offered them angvastrams (stoles).
Priyanka and Rahul also served ‘prasad’ to the devotees at ‘langar’ in the temple. They also ate ‘prasad’.
“Jai Gurudev, Dhan Gurudev,” tweeted Priyanka after offering prayers.
Rahul later tweeted: “Hearty congratulations on the occasion of birth of Guru Ravidas Ji, who gave the message of unity and brotherhood.”
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ visited Ravidas temple and offered prayers there at around 3 pm.