Aravalli, July 29 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel marked Guru Purnima on Wednesday by visiting Lusadiya Dham, a prominent tribal pilgrimage site in Aravalli district, and the Shamlaji Temple, where he offered prayers for the welfare of the people of the state and participated in religious observances alongside devotees and local residents.
At Lusadiya Dham in Shamlaji taluka, CM Patel offered prayers at the Samadhi of tribal saint Surmaldas and paid his respects at the Dhuno before the idol of Ramdev Pir associated with the revered saint.
The Chief Minister also honoured the sixth-generation successor saints of Surmaldas by presenting them with shawls on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
The saints of Lusadiya Dham presented CM Patel with a portrait of Saint Surmaldas and conveyed their blessings.
During the programme, Lusadiya Dham Trust President D.M. Bhoi narrated the history of the saint and the Samadhi. CM Patel greeted saints, and devotees gathered at Lusadiya Dham and interacted with them before joining tribal families in the Guru Purnima devotional celebrations.
Guru Purnima symbolises the importance of the Guru-Shishya tradition. Every year, thousands of devotees from the tribal regions of Gujarat and neighbouring Rajasthan visit Lusadiya Dham on the occasion to pay homage at the Samadhi of Saint Surmaldas and seek the blessings of the saints.
Later, the Chief Minister visited the Shamlaji Temple, where he offered prayers and performed rituals, praying for the “holistic development, happiness, prosperity, peace and welfare of the people” of Gujarat.
While travelling to Shamlaji, CM Patel briefly halted his convoy and stepped away from official protocol to interact with residents in Lusadiya village.
He spoke with schoolchildren gathered along the roadside and encouraged them. Young girls observing Gauri Vrat, carrying decorated kalash on their heads, welcomed the Chief Minister, while villagers and children also greeted him during the visit.
Minister of State for Tribal Development and Food and Civil Supplies, P.C. Baranda, accompanied the Chief Minister during the visits.
Others present included former minister and MLA Bhikhusinh Parmar, MLA Dhavalsinh Zala, and former MP Deepsinh Rathod.
–IANS
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