The most revered fair of North India, the 8-day long Jhiri Mela, began on November 15 on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.
The Jhiri Mela is organised every year in Jammu and is regarded as the most revered fair of the North India with lakhs of devotees from across the country paying their obeisance and tributes to the Samadhi of the legendary farmer Baba Jit Mal, also popularly known as Baba Jitto.
Jhiri is situated at a distance of around 25 Kms from Jammu City. The Jhiri fair is celebrated every year for eight days to pay tributes to the courage of Baba Jitto, a farmer, who sacrificed his life for the liberation of the farming community in the 15th century.
The Samadhi of Baba Jit Mal, also popularly known as Baba Jitto, is at Shama Chak in Jhiri Village of Jammu. Baba Jit Mal had laid down his life after he was cheated by the Kardar of the area.
The most popular and revered fair of North India, Jhiri Mela, is organised in the month of November and December for eight days. Devotees in lakhs come to Jhiri from all over India and abroad to pay their obeisance at Jhiri.
According to an ancient legend, there was an honest, truthful farmer called Baba Jitto. A Brahmin and a devotee of Mata Vaishno Devi and Raja Mandalik, Baba Jitto used to live in Aghar village near Katra, Vaishno Devi.
As Baba Jitto grew up, he was fed up with the attitude of his aunt Jojan. Baba Jitto decided to leave the village. He met Mehta Bir Singh, the Kardar of the Amb-Grota in Jammu and urged him to provide him a piece of land for tilling.
Bir Singh gave him a piece of barren land after signing an agreement, which was written and signed by King Ajaib Dev. Jitto was asked to give one-fourth of his agricultural produce to the King as per the agreement.
Baba Jit Mal worked hard day and night and transformed the barren land into lush green fields. His dream was realized when he had a luxuriant and rich yield in the barren land given to him.
When Bir Singh got the news regarding the good yield, he arrived at the fields along with his men and asked them to lift three fourth of the crop and leave only a quarter with Jitto.
Upon this, Baba Jitto prayed to Bir Singh to follow the terms of the agreement but all his requests fell on deaf ears. Most of the farmers from nearby areas, who gathered there, could not stop Mehta due to fear of the King’s men.
Left with no solution and no means of help, Baba Jitto committed suicide leaving all surrounding grains red with his blood.
It is believed that people who consumed even a piece of those grains, their generations after generations come to Jhiri during the annual fair to express their repentance about the injustice done with Baba Jitto in the 15th century.
The main day of the fair is held on Karthik Purnima. People pay obeisance at the Baba Jitto temple and seek his blessings and the blessings of his daughter Bua Kouri also. As per the legend, Bua Kouri, the daughter of Baba Jitto also took her life by jumping on her father’s funeral pyre.
For the people coming from all over India to Jhiri, one important ritual during the Jhiri Mela is to take a holy dip in Babe- da- Talab (Pond) which is known to have miraculous powers for curing skin disorders.
The farmers recall the sacrifice of Baba Jitto by various means and prayers. No farmer forgets to take part in this fair. The families of those who had taken even a grain of the produce of Baba Jitto come to Jhiri during the fair to repent the sin of their ancestors.
Apart from these people, others also come to Jhiri to pay their obeisance.
There is a pond at Jhiri and it is believed that the ladies who do not conceive are blessed with a child if they take bath in the holy pond.
The people have deep faith in this fair and the related traditions.
