Ramkeli Mela to start in Gour on June 15

The historic Ramkeli Mela will start in Gour, the ancient capital of Bengal, on June 15 and will continue till June 18, this year. To give a little relief to the pilgrims in the scorching heat, a Mango Sharbat stall will also be put up by the Malda Merchant Chamber of Commerce with free medical camps and ambulance services.

The Ramkeli Mela, commemorates the arrival of Sri Chaitanya Deb to Ramkeli around 10 km from Malda town. In 1515, Sri Chaitanya Deb arrived in Ramkeli village of Gour on his way to Mathura and Vrindavan to preach Bhakti Dharma. He stayed in Ramkeli village with his two followers, Roop and Sanatan. Since then the traditional Ramkeli fair has been held on Jaistha Sankranti of Bengali calendar. Lakhs of devotees from different parts of the state, outside the state and country attend the fair.

The historic and traditional Ramkeli Mela has been taking place under the supervision of the administration for the past decade. District magistrate Nitin Singhania said: “Special attention has been paid to ensure that there is no gap in security at the Ramkeli fair. Two transformers are being installed to keep the power system operational. Drinking water has been given extra importance this time owing to heat waves. There will be pouches of drinking water in huge quantities. However, the traffic route has been made one-way, so that there is no traffic jam. 120 temporary toilets have been constructed. Civil Defense officials will be present there to prevent any accidents from bathing in ponds. There is also a fire fighting system available.