Centuries-old flag festival commences in Dehradun

Thousands thronged the shrine of Guru Ram Rai in India's northern Dehradun city to attend the flag raising ceremony which marked the beginning of the 'Jhanda Mela', or the Flag Fair. The festival marks the birth anniversary of the seventh 'Nanak' or Guru of the Sikh religion- Guru Ram Rai. The day is also important for the people of Dehradun, which, called Doon, got its name after Guru Ram Rai established his 'Dera' or settlement in the valley here. Devotees coming to the fair from across the country worship the holy flag - which is a single tree trunk, which is 100 feet tall and is wrapped in 63 layers of cloth or 'gilaaf'. According to rituals, the flag is bathed in milk, curd and 'Ganga Jal' (holy water from river Ganges) and then is wrapped with the 'gilaaf', initial 41 layers are plain cloth, followed by 21 layers of velvet and the final layer is that of a 'Darshini' cloth. Soon after the offerings are made by the devotees, the covers are removed and only 40 remain tied to the 'Jhanda Sahib' as is the tradition. The 'Jhanda Mela' is a fifteen-day festival and has been celebrated since 1676, and the jhanda he had set up to mark the location of his camp continues to occupy a central spot at Sri Darbar Sahib.