{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Unique Shrine on Sambhar Lake Shores Replaces Idols with Saints' Footprints Ahead of Grand Fair on October 12",
  "summary": "The Paglya Wale Baba Dham in Rajasthan will host its annual fair on October 12, drawing pilgrims to revere holy footprints instead of traditional deity idols.",
  "content": "Nestled along the sprawling salt flats of Rajasthan's famed Sambhar Lake lies an unconventional pilgrimage center that offers a distinct perspective on devotion. Situated in the Marisar village of the Nawa region, the shrine known as Paglya Wale Baba Dham deviates entirely from customary temple structures. Rather than housing stone or metal sculptures of gods and goddesses, this sacred site is dedicated to the worship of the holy footprints, locally referred to as paglya, left behind by revered ascetics. Preparations are now proceeding swiftly for the grand annual fair scheduled to convene at the sanctuary on October 12.\n\nExtensive Preparations Underway for the Annual Gathering\nWith massive congregations of devotees anticipated to visit during the forthcoming festivities, the shrine management committee and local administrative officials are working collaboratively to finalize logistical measures. Philanthropists and prominent community patrons from across the territory have stepped forward to shoulder responsibilities for essential public services. Coordinated arrangements are being put in place to ensure that travelers have access to clean drinking water, communal meals, secure lodging, and necessary amenities.\n\nThe annual gathering at Paglya Wale Baba Dham transcends standard religious observances by functioning as a collective community endeavor. Residents from Marisar and adjacent villages actively participate in crowd facilitation, traffic coordination, and guest hospitality, transforming the occasion into an inspiring display of selfless service and civic unity.\n\nAll-Night Devotional Music and Spiritual Assemblies\nFestivities on October 12 will commence early in the morning along the shores of Sambhar Lake, where rituals, homage, and continuous prayer cycles will unfold throughout the daylight hours. As dusk approaches, the sacred compound will transition into an expansive spiritual venue for an elaborate bhajan sandhya.\n\nRenowned devotional vocalists and musicians have been invited to perform traditional spiritual compositions that will reverberate late into the night. Temple organizers are carefully managing acoustics, seating enclosures, and ambient lighting to ensure that visiting pilgrims experience an uplifting and serene spiritual atmosphere during the extended musical gathering.\n\nVeneration of Sacred Footprints over Traditional Iconography\nThe distinctive attribute separating Paglya Wale Baba Dham from typical shrines across the state is its adherence to venerating footprint impressions. According to enduring beliefs, this geographic setting served as the austere meditation retreat for realized masters associated with the Dadu Dayal spiritual lineage. Instead of erecting religious effigies, successive generations preserved the footprint marks impressed by those ascetic mendicants.\n\nDevotees approach these conserved footprints with profound reverence, performing rituals and seeking personal blessings for peace, prosperity, and spiritual resolve. The very title of the shrine reflects this devotion to the holy steps rather than conventional anthropomorphic representations of divinity.\n\nSanctuary for Paralysis Patients and Community Welfare\nBeyond its historical lineage, the shrine has developed an extensive reputation among individuals suffering from paralysis and severe physical afflictions. A central focal point within the temple boundary is an expansive holy hearth known as the dhoona. Devotees preserve a longstanding belief that circumambulating this sanctified fire pit seven times while holding its sacred ash, followed by applying the ash directly to afflicted body parts, brings tangible relief to paralyzed individuals.\n\nTo support patients and their accompanying relatives traveling from distant localities, the temple authorities maintain a large dharamshala providing residential accommodations. Furthermore, the sanctuary oversees an extensive cowshed that provides shelter and daily sustenance to hundreds of cattle. All revenues generated through the dairy and agricultural activities of this gaushala are systematically reinvested into shrine infrastructure and cow protection initiatives.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe upcoming annual congregation at Sambhar Lake will directly influence travel, lodging, and community services for pilgrims and residents alike.\n\n• Across India: Pilgrims and individuals seeking relief from paralysis traveling to Marisar should prepare their transit itineraries well ahead of October 12. Visiting families will have access to on-site dharamshala accommodations and communal meal facilities arranged by charitable patrons.\n• In Rajasthan: Commuters traversing the Nawa and Sambhar Lake periphery will experience heightened vehicular movement and localized diversions on festival day. Regional small businesses, local transporters, and service volunteers will see heightened engagement due to the massive inflow of devotees.\n• For Patients: Families accompanying paralyzed patients will find structured arrangements for circumambulating the sacred hearth and obtaining holy ash. The availability of on-site shelter reduces financial burdens on families arriving from outside districts for treatment rituals.\n• Support for Animal Welfare: Voluntary contributions made during the fair directly sustain the on-site cowshed housing hundreds of cattle. The collective donations help secure feeding supplies and infrastructure enhancements for ongoing animal welfare efforts.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe historical reverence for foot impressions and the annual congregation on October 12 stem from longstanding monastic traditions and localized healing beliefs.\n\n• Ascetic Heritage: The shores of Sambhar Lake served historically as a rigorous meditation hermitage for holy figures associated with the Dadu Dayal tradition. Rather than commissioning deific idols, early followers chose to honor the authentic physical footprint impressions left by those saints.\n• Cyclical Festival Calendars: The shrine preserves an established seasonal custom of holding its flagship congregational fair in mid-autumn. The October 12 schedule marks the focal point of these annual community prayers and cultural observances.\n• Generational Philanthropy: Local landowners and business patrons hold a customary obligation to provide shelter and provisions for traveling mendicants and visitors. This unbroken culture of volunteerism sustains the festival year after year.\n• Reputation for Ailment Relief: Persistent popular accounts detailing physical improvements among paralyzed patients through hearth ash rituals have expanded the shrine's prominence across the region, consistently drawing massive crowds.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Where is Paglya Wale Baba Dham situated?\nThe shrine is situated in Marisar village within the Nawa region, right along the shores of Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan.\n\n2. When is the annual fair scheduled to take place?\nThe grand annual fair will be organized at the shrine premises on October 12.\n\n3. What is worshipped at the shrine instead of traditional idols?\nInstead of deity idols, the temple preserves and worships the sacred footprint impressions, known as paglya, of saints from the Dadu Dayal tradition.\n\n4. What belief is associated with paralysis treatment at the temple?\nDevotees believe that circumambulating the sacred hearth seven times and applying its sanctified ash provides relief to paralysis patients.\n\n5. What special program will be held on the evening of the fair?\nAn elaborate devotional music evening featuring notable bhajan singers will take place, lasting late into the night.\n\n6. What lodging facilities exist for travelers arriving from distant places?\nThe shrine complex contains a spacious dharamshala that accommodates patients, relatives, and visiting devotees.\n\n7. How is the temple cowshed managed and supported?\nThe gaushala cares for hundreds of cattle, and all revenue generated is directed back into shrine development and cow preservation.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/sambhar-lake-tata-para-snton-ke-padachihnon-ki-puja-marisar-ke-anuthe-dhama-men-12-aktubara-ko-sajega-varshika-mela-42602",
  "category": "Rajasthan",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-04",
  "tags": [
    "Sambhar Lake",
    "Marisar",
    "Paglya Wale Baba",
    "Rajasthan Fair",
    "Nawa",
    "Dadu Dayal Tradition"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}