Jammu, Jun 26 (KNO): The historical annual Chamliyal mela on the International Border in J&K's Ramgarh sector was celebrated without the exchange of traditional Shakkar (soil) and Sharbat (water) from the shrine of Baba Dalip Singh with the neighbouring country Pakistan.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) thousands of devotees thronged the famous shrine of Baba Chamliyal for an annual fair today, but there was no traditional exchange of ‘Shakkar and Sharbat’ with Pakistan for the eighth consecutive year.
The annual cross-border annual congregation, once seen as a symbol of spiritual harmony and people-to-people ties falling victim to strained relations between India and Pakistan.
The participation of Pakistani nation including official delegations was discontinued in 2018 following sniper fire from the Pakistani side at Chamliyal BOP in Ramgarh sector that claimed the lives of four BSF soldiers, including an Assistant Commandant, just days before the mela.
Since then, the ceremony at the zero line, which involved the exchange of sacred offerings between the two forces, has remained suspended.
“There hasn’t been any formal communication between Pakistan Rangers and the BSF on this year’s Chamliyal Mela,” said a senior BSF official.
As no delegation came from Pakistan, there was no exchange of Chhadar, Shakkar and Sharbat between the two sides, he added.
Pertinently, the Chamliyal Mela commemorates Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, a spiritual guide whose shrine has served as a symbol of faith for over 325 years. Traditionally, BSF officials would receive a chadar and sweets from their Pakistani counterparts, and in return, hand over the sacred “Shakkar and Sharbat”, believed to cure skin diseases.
Until 1971, Pakistani devotees were allowed to visit the shrine. In later years, they would gather across the zero line in large numbers just to catch a glimpse of the sacred site. The 2003 ceasefire rekindled hopes, and for over a decade, the BSF-Rangers ceremony became a fixture of the Mela until hostilities resumed in 2018—(KNO)