The Annual Baba Chamblyal Mela was held with traditional fervor as thousands of devotees from across the state and outside thronged the centuries old shrine located close to the International Border in Ramgarh sector of District Samba to seek blessings and cure for physical ailments especially skin.
The highly revered shrine also has followers on other side of the border who come and collect the 'shakkar'and ‘sharbat believed to be panacea for all skin ailments.On this occasion, DIG BSF Jammu Frontier B.S.Kasana met the Pakistani Rangers led by Brigadier Waseem Zafar Bhatti at Zero Line and exchanged sweets and fruits to mark annual celebration of Baba Chamblyal Mela. Thousands of devotees stood on both sides of the border to have a glimpse of the ritual of handing over of a ‘chaddar’ of flowers to the BSF officers by the Pakistani Rangers for being laid on the Dargah of Baba Chamblyal. The local administration and BSF handed over the 'shakkar 'and 'sharbat to thousands of devotees who eagerly wait for the same on the other side of the border.
The Annual Fair was inaugurated by Minister for commerce and Industries Chander Prakash Ganga. Minister paid obeisance at the shrine and later inaugurated photo exhibition which was organised by DAVP displaying various schemes .
Minister appreciated the efforts of department for organising such exhibitions, displaying schemes sponsored by centre government and appealed the youth to take maximum benefit of these schemes which would help them generate self employment.The District Administration, keeping in view the ever increasing pilgrims had made elaborate arrangements for the fair including the Traffic Regulation, Medical Facilities, Drinking Water Facility, Security Arrangements and Additional Buses to accommodate the rush of Pilgrims. Agriculture, Horticulture Animal/Sheep husbandry, handlooms, handicrafts, employment and social welfare, tourism installed their stalls on the occasion to make people aware about the schemes being implemented by the departments.Thousands of people on both sides jointly participated in the separate fairs at the shrine of Dalip Singh Manhas, popularly known as Baba Chamliyal. Every year in Saidanwali village on the Pakistan side of the Zero Line, people organize a three day fair and wait for Shakkar and Sharbat of Baba Chamliyal’s Dargah. On the occasion a flag meeting with Pakistani Rangers was also organized by the BSF at the International Border which was attended by DIG BSF, Commandant BSF,DIG Police Ashkoor Wani, Deputy Commissioner Samba Sheetal Nanda, Senior Superintendent of Police, besides the Senior Officers of BSF, Police and administration. On the occasion, the Sweets were also exchanged to mark annual celebration of Baba Chamliyal Mela.
It was informed that Mela Chamliyal is celebrated in the memory of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas every year in June in the village of Chamliyal on the Indo –Pak border 40kms from Jammu. T
he Unique feature of this mela is that Baba Chamliyal is revered by people on both sides of the international border. People of all religions in thousands throng the shrine during the festivities. A meeting of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers is held on the international Border on this day. The BSF presents shakar and sharbat to the Pakistan Rangers who in turn present chadar for the mazar of the Baba. People from other states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan come in thousands to pay homage at the shrine.The administration had made elaborate arrangements for the transportation of the local devotees to the shrine, besides providing civic amenities and other facilities at the Festival site. Men, women and children, who travelled all the way from different parts of Jammu division and from neighbouring state of Punjab paid obeisance at the shrine.Deputy Commissioner Samba Sheetal Nanda, SSP Joginder Singh, ADDC Vivek Sharma, ADC Pawan Sharma, SDM Vijaypur ,Tehsildar Ramgarh, and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.