Jhandi Yatra arrives at Halavari mutt

Anointment of Kadri Yogeshwar Mutt's new seer on March 7

A number of Sadhus (saints), belonging to Natha Pantha (sect), arrived at Halavari mutt near the remote village of Yedamogge for the anointment of Kadri Yogeshwar Mutt new seer. 

 The saints, who come in ‘Navanatha Jhandi’ via Triambakeshwar in Nasik to Kadri in Mangaluru, once in 12 years to conduct the anointment ceremony of ‘Maharaja’ in Kadri have stops at 17 mutts in the State. 

Speaking to media persons here on Friday, spokesperson Mahant Yogi Surajnath said Jhandi began its spiritual journey from Triambakeshwar on the Nagarapanchami day in last August following the participation of saints in Kumbhamela. The ritual has a long history and associates itself with Lord Parashurama. The saints are the followers of Gorakshakanathji. There are 522 saints in the Jhandi, he added. 

The saint said  the Jhandi covers a maximum of 42 kilometres and a minimum of two kilometres each day, depending on the distance connecting the ‘Mukkham’. The ‘Muk-kham’ is the place where the saints will have temporary stop on the way to their destination, he added.

The saints have 93 ‘Mukkhams’ in Karnataka. The group also comprises a unique saint named Yogi Rajendranath who has started his spiritual journey by taking oath that he will not sleep for 21 years. He is doing so from 2001 and he spends all his day and night sitting. He told spirituality is core of human creation. There is nothing great, other than attaining ‘Moksha’. He said he will continue doing so until 2022, so that he will complete his spiritual pledge, he added. 

Another uniqueness found among the saints is a dog following the Yatra. The dog starts its journey with saints and survives only on milk. 

Yogi Surajnath said the dog follows the saints wherever the Jhandi Yatra goes. However, it is not the single dog that will accompany the saints all through the journey. Once a dog disappears, another dog will join the Yatra. Hence, the saints do not know from where the dog has come. However, it is believed that the soul of Gorakshakanathaji’s vehicle ‘Baironath’ is incarnated in the dog which follows the Jhandi and Gorakshakanathaji has sent his vehicle to accompany the saints. The present dog with them is accompanying them from Handibadagnath in Khanapur in Belagavi district. Gorakshakanathaji is ‘Shivrup’, he added.

The saints carry ‘Patradevta’ (Akshaya Patra) which is believed to be in existence since the time of Gorakshakanathaji. It is carried all through the journey. Another practice performed by the saints is ‘Dhoni’ which is the evidence of the saints being the followers of ‘Agni’. Charcoal is  carried all along and the ‘Dhuni’ is made wherever the ‘Mukkham’ of the saints is arranged. The saints live on the donations offered by the devotees and do not demand anything extra. Whatever they get in charity they share among themselves, he added.

Yogi Nirmalanath Gurunath from Rajasthan is selected as the Maharaj of Kadri Jogi mutt in Mangaluru. The anointment ceremony is held on March 7 and the journey envisioned by the saints is also coupled with the  appointments of in-charge saints for other ‘Peer’ mutts. The ‘Peer’ mutts include Chandragutthi, Halavari and Handibadagnath. Among 522 saints, three are engineers, two are physicians and 19 are postgraduates.