BARPETA, June 14 - The 453rd death anniversary of Mahapurush Sri Sri Harideva was observed at Bahari Satra established by the saint himself, with a five-day-long programme from the June 9 to 13.
The celebration began on June 9 with morning prayers followed by plantation, naam prasanga by men and women devotees, guru bandana during the day and lighting of lamps and a cultural show by artistes of the Directorate of Information and Public Relation, Government of Assam, in the evening.
Similar programmes followed during the next two days. But the environment of the Satra took a completely different look Tuesday evening as thousands of devotees from across the State lit earthen lamps and illuminated the vast campus of the Satra. The most significant and unique aspect was that the devotees guarded their lamps and poured oil as and when required the whole night until sunrise the next morning.
The lighting of lamps was started by Violet Baruah, Superintendent of Police, Barpeta. Amidst the large crowd, two books Haridev Prabha and Sehi Smriti Sumarane were formally released by Thaneswar Malakar, Deputy Commissioner, Barpeta, and Madhurjyamandit Baruah, Head of Assamese Department, Krishnaguru Adhyatmik Viswavidyalay, Nasatra in Barpeta district respectively. Another booklet titled Bahari Satra, an introductory book on the historic Satra, was released by Violet Baruah.
The main rituals like shraddha and pindadaan were performed on Wednesday. A meeting recalling the contribution of the great saint Sri Sri Harideva was also organised Wednesday noon. The celebrations came to an end with the performance of Ojapali by renowned artiste Niranjan Barman and his team of Sarupeta in Barpeta district.
The entire Bahari Satra and the village as a whole turned into a sea of humanity during the last two days as a large number of devotees thronged the Satra to pay homage to their respected saint. The participation of the people in the programmes was spontaneous and overwhelming. The Satra management committee left no stone unturned to make the celebration a grand success with utmost discipline and make the visitors happy.
The death anniversary of the great saint was also observed at Baniyakuchi Satra with a two-day-long programme on the June 12 and 13.
