The family of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma is an ardent devotee of Govardhan Giriraj Ji Maharaj. After assuming the Chief Minister’s post, he along with his family visited the Danghati, Shrinath Ji, and Poonchi Ka Lautha temples in Govardhan and offered prayers. Now a video is going viral on social media, in which his wife Geeta Sharma and son Ashish can be seen performing the strenuous Dandavat Parikrama (prostrating circumambulation of a temple) of Govardhan Giriraj along with other devotees amid tight security.
Seeing the parikrama, the devotees and netizens have been appreciating their simplicity and unwavering devotion to Govardhan Maharaj.
राजस्थान के मुख्यमंत्री भजनलाल शर्मा की पत्नी और बेटे गिरिराज जी की परिक्रमा करते हुए…. pic.twitter.com/hHpxiFBVY7
— LP Pant (@pantlp) December 26, 2023
Respect 🙏🙏🙏
— STAR Boy TARUN (@Starboy2079) December 26, 2023
The lady and the boy who are doing dandvat parikrama are no other than wife and son of Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma
They have been doing this Giriraj parikrama of Srinath ji (Krishna) at Nathdwara (Rajasthan) from last 15 years
Jai Shree Krishna pic.twitter.com/RlsAQu48Wn
As per reports, on 26th December (Tuesday), Rajasthan CM Sharma’s wife and son started Dandavati Parikrama from the foothills as per rituals. After reaching Govardhan on Tuesday afternoon, they first visited and performed Puja at the Lautha temple of Poonchati. Afterwards, they started Dandavat Parikrama by lying down on the road among other devotees. There are security personnel accompanying them.
Of the total 21 km parikrama, they circumambulated 3 km on the first day. Their circumambulation will be completed in about five days. Dandavat Parikrama involves prostrating in a ‘dandavat’ pose, then marking the place where the hand touches ground, and then proceeding to prostrate again on that spot.
Notably, the temple of Giriraj Maharaj is in Govardhan, which falls in the Mathura region of UP and borders the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Lakhs of devotees come here to seek blessings and darshan. They perform this strenuous circumambulation on foot or by prostration. The entire parikrama is divided into two phases. The first parikrama is 12 kilometers while the second one is shorter and spans 9 kilometers. The total parikrama is thus 21 kilometers.
Giriraj Maharaj is the Isht devata of CM Bhajanlal Sharma’s family. As per reports, he along with his family members have been doing the danadavat parikrama of Giriraj Ji Maharaj every year for more than a decade-and-a-half. However, because of his Chief Ministerial duties, this year he could not perform the parikrama.
CM Bhajanlal Sharma is a resident of Attari village in the Nadbai area of Bharatpur district. His family is devout Hindu and has unwavering faith and devotion in their Isht Devta Giriraj ji. He often does Gauseva, feeds monkeys, and organises Bhandara.
His father Kishan Swaroop Sharma and mother Gomati Devi have been followers of Giriraj Ji Maharaj for years. There is a big idol of Baba in his house where the family regularly performs the puja. Kishan Swaroop and Gomti Devi have also been doing Dandavat Parikrama for years. However due to health reasons they could not participate in the Dandavat Parikrama this year.
Earlier this month on 12th December, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), contrary to the media speculations, announced Bhajan Lal Sharma as the new CM-designate of Rajasthan, and on 15th December he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state. He is a first-time MLA and represents the Sanganer assembly constituency but he has organisational experience and served as state General Secretary for the party four times.
