Annual Krishna “Doli” procession held in Mussoorie

MUSSOORIE, 31 Aug: The “Queen of the Hills” today wore a festive look as the annual Krishna “Doli” procession was organised by Sanatan Dharma Mandir Sabha with pomp and piety. The Krishna procession is held on the Sunday following immediately after the Krishna Janamashthami celebrations. The devotees started gathering in large numbers at Tailors Flat, Landour Bazaar under the banner of Sanatan Dharm Mandir along with tableaux depicting the life of Krishna mounted on vehicles. The Krishna “Doli”, ornamented with silver, started its 4 km journey at 2 pm after the initiation ceremony from the Temple at Landour amidst chants of “Radhey Radhey”. The local MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, along with other public representatives joined in the procession.
The “Kirtan Mandali” followed the “Doli” or Palanqin, singing and dancing in praise of the Krishna. Adding colour to the procession were tableaux depicting the life of Krishna, especially his childhood. Some tableaux depicted the social message and problem of terrorism. A brass band provided the musical element to the procession.
The Valmiki Samaj also presented their items on the road at different locations of the town. The most popular ones were the tableaux of Krishna stealing butter. The children dressed in the attire of various gods completely transformed the Mall Road into a “mela.” The devotees in large numbers thronged the side of the road to seek blessings and catch a glimpse of the Krishna .The Aarti was held at Picture Palace where the President, Nagar Palika, joined in to offer his prayers along with other devotees.
The tourists on holiday were astonished by the grandeur of the event. For them it was a fortunate photo opportunity. Erin Pruckno, Hilary Savena and David Slungaard, tourists and students of Hindi Language from New York were amazed at the participation of people in the procession. Erin said, “This is unbelievable, this is our first opportunity to witness such a festival in India.” They were of the view that, if government publicised such festivals over the internet, more tourists would come to witness this religious phenomenon every year.
The Krishna “Doli”procession has historical antecedents. According to Rakesh Kumar Goyal, an official of the Sanatan Dharm Mandir Sabha, the Krishna procession began around 1870-1900 during British Rule. The present Radha Krishan Mandir was a small tin shed. Shiva Mandir and the Krishna Mandir were situated near the Nag Mandir at Hathipaon. The Britishers had banned worship at this temple. One day when the Britishers had gone for Good Friday celebrations, the Hindu devotees discreetly established the Krishna idol at the Radha Krishan Mandir. They brought it in a wooden “Doli” or Palanquin in a procession. Since that it has become an annual feature. The Krishna Palanquin or “Doli” was later plated with silver. The villagers surrounding Mussoorie revere the event and come every year providing colour and a festive look to the procession.
However, the traditional dress of Jaunpur villages was missing this year as the old ones could not make it due to landslides and the new generation has discarded the old tradition of “Ghagra” and “Dhantu’ and replaced it with other attire.
The procession ended at Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Library Bazaar.