The sage of Gugga Pir is an interesting one. He was born Bachraj, a scion of the princely ‘Chauhan Rajput’ clan, and later was said to have wed Princess Kumari Sirial, daughter of a prominent local chieftain. Gradually, however, after a rapid chain of events, he renounced worldliness and adopted sainthood, garnering many followers along the way. Now, Gugga Pir is revered by both Hindus and Muslims alike throughout North India.
The festival commences a week before the stipulated day when a large procession, bearing Gugga Pir’s idol, winds its way across the streets. The idol is known as ‘Gugga Kichhari’ and comprises a solid elongated bamboo rod embellished with wreaths, flowers, colourful scarves, and related paraphernalia. Besides the teeming devotees, the procession also sees the participation of ‘Bhagats’, senior religious priests. One Bhagat supervises the procession upfront while five other Bhagats make up a travelling musical troupe. This troupe constantly sings folk tunes eulogising Gugga Pir and plays religious music with the aid of traditional Indian instruments like the dholak, manjiras, deru (a diminutive percussion instrument), and chimtas.
The procession sustains for a week until it finally culminates on Gugga Naumi, when special prayers take place.
इस आर्टिकल को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें