United Colours of Holi Splash Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur: The prestige of the power of devotion, forgetting discrimination and embracing everyone, the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as Gorakhpeethadhishwar on Holi, the festival of gaiety of rich Sanatan culture, makes the Rangotsav of Gorakhpur very special.
Amidst the enthusiasm of devotion with CM Yogi, the colors of social harmony are showered. The medium of this is the colorful procession of Lord Narasimha coming out from Ghantaghar under the banner of Shri Holikotsav Samiti and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led this procession in the form of Goraksha Peethadhishwar on Wednesday morning to carry out this tradition that has been going on for decades. Chief Minister participated in the procession of Lord Narasimha on Holikotsav.
Under the banner of Shree Holikotsav Samiti and RSS, a procession left from Ghantaghar on Wednesday morning.
Rangotsav led by Gorakshpeeth is unique in its aim of social message. Gorakshpeethadhishwar has been participating in Holikotsav-Lord Narasimha Shobhayatra for decades only to share the affection of social harmony. Yogi, who led the procession from 1996 to 2019, did not participate in the Holikotsav of the year 2020 and 2021 to save people from corona infection. CM Yogi came again last year to lead the Shobha Yatra after convincing the whole world of successful Corona management and completely controlling this global epidemic. And, this year also the procession of Lord Narasimha was drenched in the colors of social harmony under his own leadership.
The Lord Narasimha Rangotsav Shobhayatra in Gorakhpur was started in 1944 by Nanaji Deshmukh, a campaigner of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during his stay in Gorakhpur. The tradition of celebrating Holi with the ashes of Holika Dahan in Gorakhnath temple was continuing long before this. This campaign of Nanaji was to remove profanity on the occasion of Holi. On the request of Nanaji, this procession also got a deep connection with Gorakshpeeth. On the instructions of Brahmalin Mahant Digvijaynath, Mahant Avedyanath started representing the Peeth in the procession and it became an integral part of the Holi of Gorakshpeeth. Since 1996, Yogi Adityanath has made it a special festival of social harmony not only in Gorakhpur but in the entire eastern Uttar Pradesh under his leadership. Now its fame is like Holi of Mathura-Vrindavan and people wait for the Lord Narasimha Shobhayatra led by Yogi Adityanath. In the procession covering a distance of more than five kilometers, the path planning is done by the workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Gorakshpeethadhishwar riding on the chariot of Lord Narasimha drenched in colors exchanges greetings with everyone without discrimination.
The Rangparv of Gorakshpeethadhishwar Yogi Adityanath started with the application of Tilak with the ashes of Holika Dahan or Sammat in the Gorakhnath temple. Along with Peethadhishwar, the head priest of the temple and other sages will also inaugurate the Rangotsav with the ashes of Holika Dahan. Phag songs are sung in the temple on this occasion. Holi Milan ceremony was also organized in the afternoon in the company of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
