The Haldighati grounds at Gogunda witnessed the ritual of Soil Worship (Bhumi Poojan) and Raj Tilak today morning at 8 o’clock, as the seven-day celebration leading to the Maharana Pratap Jayanti started, under the joint association of the Udaipur Municipal Council and Mewad Kshatriya Mahasabha.

Today 17^th May 2012, marked as day one of the Maharana Pratap Jayanti celebration, a traditional custom of spreading Gangajal (Holy Water) over the soil at Haldighati was performed, in which Gangajal was taken in a Kalash to the site of the Rajtilak of Maharana Pratap at Gogunda.

According to the information provided by Kamlendar Singh Pawar, Convener for the Seven Day Celebration, the holy soil brought from Haldighati will be applied on the foreheads of the people attending this event.

Earlier during the day, a mass procession was taken out to reach Haldighati by the representatives of various socio-religious groups, which included Mohan Singh Rathod of the Maharana Pratap Sena, Dilip Singh Baansi and Virendra Singh Boheda from the Mewad Kshatriya Mahasabha, Ghanshyam Singh Bhinder of the Mewar Gaurav Vikas Parishad, Ramesh Raj Suhalka of the Mewad Shiv Sena, Gajendra Acharaya of the Shul Dharini Sena among other prominent personalities.  The procession was flagged off at 7.00 am today by Prem Singh Shaktawat, Convener, Pratap Jayanti Samaroh Samiti.