A LARGE and vibrant ‘Gada Yatra’ was taken out on the occasion of the 14th foundation day of Hindu Seva Parishad and the Hindu New Year, on Tuesday. The programme began at Hanuman Temple near Naudra Bridge with a religious meeting, followed by a grand procession with the participation of a mammoth gathering of devotees. The yatra echoed with slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, reflecting strong religious enthusiasm among participants. Prominent spiritual leaders like Swami Raghav Devacharya and Acharya Dhirendra Pandey were present, along with Hyderabad-based MLA T. Raja Singh and Hindu Janjagruti preacher Ram Kane. Addressing the gathering, T Raja Singh made several strong remarks. He appealed the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav for removal of encroachments near Budhi Khermai Temple in Jabalpur, drawing a comparison with action taken in Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain.

 

He also spoke about issues like religious conversions, cow protection and urged people to work towards unity and cultural identity. Hindu Seva Parishad, State President, Atul Jeswani informed that the procession consists a 31-foot silver-coloured Gada, a large idol of Lord Hanuman, tableaux, bands, drums, DJs, saffron flags and a 10-foot trident, which remained the center of attraction. The yatra passed through Karamchand Chowk, Tularam Chowk, Andherdeo, Khajanchi Chowk, Fuhara, Lordganj and Super Market before concluding at Civic Centre. Before the procession, a Maha Aarti was performed at the temple under the guidance of saints. Organisers claimed that more than 11,000 devotees participated in the event. The event concluded with a message of unity among Hindus and cultural pride. On the occasion, Seva Parishad’s Nitin Sonpali, Saurabh Jain, Akshay Jha, Gaurav Sahu, Pankaj Kushwaha, Deepak Vishwakarma and a large numbers of members were present.