Haridwar’s sacred Har Ki Pauri turned into a vibrant scene on Sunday as devotees celebrated the 115th Multan Jot Festival with unique traditions, including playing Holi with milk and Ganga water. The event saw hundreds of participants spraying milk and holy water on one another using traditional pichkaris, chanting “Har Har Gange” with immense enthusiasm.
Organised annually by the Akhil Bharatiya Multan Sangathan, the festival commemorates a unique tradition that began in 1911. According to the organisation’s president Mahendra Nagpal, a devotee named Roopchand had travelled on foot from Multan (now in Pakistan) to Har Ki Pauri before the Partition, to offer a flame (jot) to the Ganga, praying for peace and brotherhood. Since then, the tradition has continued without interruption.
The Multan Jot Mahotsav draws devotees from across Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, and other states, making it a cultural confluence symbolic of India’s unity in diversity. A ceremonial procession and jot offering at the Ganga are scheduled for Sunday evening, keeping alive the century-old spiritual legacy.
