Jammu: The annual Maha Shivratri festival 2021 organised by Tourism Department in collaboration with District Administration and Peerkho Mandir committee started Wednesday here at Peerkho. Tourism Department alongwith the district administration Jammu has made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the festival.
The festival hosted a variety of programmes which inter alia included Cultural events depicting local folk dances organised through J&K Academy of Art, Culture and languages, food stalls of Dogra cuisines, departmental stalls of Handicraft, Handloom, Industries & Commerce, JKTDC and Agriculture Department etc. The main highlight of the festival is cultural events depicting local folklore.
The festival was inaugurated jointly by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Sanjeev Verma and Director Tourism Jammu, Dr. Naseem Javed Chowdhary, in presence of Deputy Mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation, Purnima Sharma and other officers of Tourism Department, District administration and Peer Kho Mandir Committee.Meanwhile, for the first time Mahashivratri festival has been organised at Purmandal, Samba. As the air echoed with the sounds of musical instruments and bhajans the fervour of Mahashivratri was in full bloom. The Chief Guest of the function was Joint Director Tourism, Jammu, Neelam Khajuria, and the other dignitaries present were Chairperson BDC, Irshad Begum; Anil Sharma, Sarpanch Khara Madanna along with prominent citizens of the region. This unique initiative of Tourism Department will surely project Purmandal as a highly revered Shiva shrine.
Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Indu Chib, who is also Vice Chairperson of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board inaugurated the Maha Shivratri Mela at Ransoo. The inaugural functioning witnessed a scintillating cultural programme featuring folk dance and music, skit on Beti Padao Beti Bachao etc.
Others present at the function were SSP Reasi, Rashmi Wazir; ADC Reasi, Rajinder Sharma; Dy. Director Tourism, Anil Kumar Chandail; ASP Reasi, Surjeet Kumar; BDC Chairman, Ransoo, Pawan Sharma; ADT Katra, Ambika Bali and a large number of local and devotees.
