SUKKUR: The 161st annual Baba Bankhandi Maharaj Mela got under way on Sunday at Sadhu Bela, a historically revered island in Hinduism situated between Rohri and Sukkur.
Hindu community leaders jointly inaugurated the festival as several hundred Hindu devotees arrived on the island from all parts of the country, as well as abroad, to take part in rituals.
The three-day festival started with the recitation from the Gita and the Guru Granth Sahib in the temple, surrounded by scores of food stalls, medical camps and outlets displaying religious souvenirs, literature and worship objects.
The Sadhu Bela temple committee in coordination with the Evacuee Trust Department, has made many boats available to the visiting devotees for their transportation from different points in Sukkur to the islet.
The district administration has made stringent security arrangements for the devotees and their hosts by deploying police units at the temple and along the route of the pilgrimage in Sukkur.
According to SSP Sukkur Amjad
Ahmed Shaikh, the security arrangements had been made and all essential facilities were provided for the visiting devotees at the festival.
Ex MPA Dewand Chand Chawla, Mukhi Aishwar Lal, Raj Kumar Wadhwani, Mukesh Kumar, Kishor Lal and other leaders of the Hindu community also spoke on the occasion.