Jhanda Fair or Jhande ka Mela is one the largest fairs in Northern India which attract thousands of devotees and tourists who travel to Dehradun to seek blessings from The Almighty.
It is celebrated as the birthday of Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji, the eldest son of the seventh Guru of the Sikhs - Sri Har Rai Ji. A huge flag (Jhanda Ji) is hoisted in this fair to commemorate his arrival in Doon valley on this very day in 1733. The Jhanda Fair is celebrated on the fifth day of Chaitra which is also the fifth day after the Holi.
Thousands of devotees from the neighboring states of Punjab, UP, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana arrive in Dehradun a few days before the flag hoisting ceremony at Jhanda fair. On the eve of Ekadashi, all the devotees (known as Sangat) are welcomed by the Shri Mahanta of Guru Ram Rai Durbar goes to the Yamuna river banks at Raianwala in Haryana, 45 kms from Dehradun to invite and welcome the Sangat.
For the flag hoisting ceremony, a 27-meter long sal tree is brought from the nearby forest in Dundhali. It is then bathed with milk and curd and holy waters from river Ganges and wrapped in a muslin cloth. Scarves are tied to the flag pole by the devotees to have their wishes fulfilled.
Guru Ram Rai Ji was the eldest son of revered seventh Guru of the Sikhs - Sri Har Rai Ji. When Ram Rai Ji performed miracles in the court of Aurangzeb, Har Rai Ji expelled him from Punjab in 1699. Ram Rai Ji then traveled to the Doon valley in present-day Uttarakhand and established his settlement which is known as ‘Dera’. Thus the city got its name as ‘Dehradun’ from thereon. Guru Ram Rai Ji built a gurudwara in the city which is known as Darbar Sahib. The Jhanda fair is organized every year to pay reverence to Guruji.
By Road: Darbar Sahib Gurudwara is located just 5 kms from the Dehradun ISBT. Taxis shared cabs (Vikram) and local buses ply to the gurudwara on a regular basis. Daily bus services to Dehradun from major north Indian cities such as Ludhiana, Shimla, New Delhi, Chandigarh etc are available.
By Rail: Durbar Sahib is located less than a kilometer away from the Railway Station. Visitors can easily find buses and shared cabs to the gurudwara. One can also walk to the gurudwara from the railway station as it is located within walking distance.
By Air: Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun is the nearest airport which is situated 25 kms from Guru Ram Rai Durbar Sahib. Tourists can easily find taxi, car or auto to the Durbar Sahib from Jolly Grant.
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