SIALKOT-The long queues of the people including women were witnessed in far-off bordering villages in Charwah sector getting “miraculous” soil and Sharbat on the second day of the Urs of Baba Chamliyal.
The annual celebrations of Baba Chaambliyaanwala Sarkar’s anniversary remained continued for the second consecutive day at far-off bordering village Parel-Masiyaal in Charwah Sector along Sialkot Working Boundary. Soil and Sharbat are believed to have medicinal properties against various skin ailments. Some local people remained busy in distributing soil to the people.
People said that they got rid of several skin diseases after applying the soil on their skin. They termed it miraculous. The local people firmly believe that the soil named as Shakkar to have miraculous effect on every kind of skin diseases while the Sharbat is used apply on the skin and also for drinking purpose.
Earlier, people left hundreds of pigeons and balloons in the air with the beginning of the three-day Urs celebrations. They also prayed for durable peace on both the sides. They gave a strong message of peace and love to their Indian neighbours. An extraordinary hustle bustle of people was witnessed along the working boundary.
The thousands of people belonging to the entire Sialkot region thronged the far-off bordering village, some 63km away from here to participate in the Mela of Baba Chaambliyaanwala Sarkar, during hot and humid weather on the first day of the three-day celebrations. A great hustle and bustle of the people was witnessed in the Sialkot border villages. The people especially women and children enjoyed the rides of the traditional swings. The female vendors also established their makeshift stalls of the bangles, artificial jewellery , colourful clay pots, toys and eatables to lure the visitors in the fields.
The women’s participation in these celebrations remained incredible as hundreds of old women claimed to reach this venue after walking bare-footed for several kilometers to show their devotion. The people including women, children, youth and old reached there after travelling long by motorcycles, cars, buses. vans, Tongas, auto rickshaws and tractor-trolleys. The Chamliyal Mela is being celebrated with full fervour and joyfulness by the people of both sides in Ramgarh-India and Sialkot-Pakistan.
Every year, on the Pakistan side of the Zero Line, people organise a three-day fair and wait for ‘Shakkar’ and ‘Sharbat’ of Baba Chamliyal’s Dargah from India. For the last 324 years, the mela has been celebrated on both the sides in Pakistan and India and become very popular after the guns became silent on the border following ceasefire and parallel peace initiatives by both the countries.
The soil is believed to have miraculous effect on every kind of skin diseases while the “Sharbat” is used to mix the Shakkar and apply it on the skin besides for drinking purpose. The soil and water are gifted after the festival is over.
Thousands of devotees visit on both sides of border to pay their obeisance to Baba and take part in the festival in Samba district of India and along Sialkot Working Boundary in Pakistan.
Some other devotees here said that this is not just a Mela but a strong bond and Baba’s blessings that have kept people of two countries emotionally close to each other despite partition in 1947.
Baba Chamliyal lived about 300 years ago and came to be revered by people because of his saintly qualities and spiritual powers. It is said that the Baba sacrificed his life when he was beheaded by those who did not like his growing influence at village. But the legend says his head, through Baba’s spiritual power came to Chamliyal village where his disciples built a tomb in his memory.