Agra, Jan 25 (IANS) Braving the winter chill, hundreds of thousands of followers of the Radhasoami sect began a two-day meeting Wednesday in this Taj Mahal city of Agra, witnesses and officials said.
A special train from New Delhi with 22 coaches ferried pilgrims from Punjab and Haryana. Hundreds of foreign devotees have also flocked to the city, organisers said.
“All the hotels (in Agra) are booked,” one organiser said.
The two-day gathering is taking place on a sprawling ground on Mathura Road. A spokesperson for the sect said an estimated eight lakh people were expected to attend.
The Soamibagh mausoleum of the sect’s founder, Shiv Dayal, built in white marble, is coming up as a rival to the Taj. It has been under construction since 1904.
The Radhasoami sect was founded in Agra by merchant-philosopher Shiv Dayal in 1861.
Since then, it has splintered into five main branches headquartered in Agra, Dinod (Haryana), Ganganagar (Rajasthan), Beas (Punjab) and Tarn Taran (Punjab). The Beas branch is considered the most prominent.
