Located in the eastern part of
Nawanshahr,
near the cremation ground Mehran Sati Sthan is one of the most
important religious places for the
Ummats.
History:
As
is evident from the name, Mehran was the name of the Sati hailing from
Jaipur in Rajasthan. Child marriage was prevalent in those times and
she was married to a member of the Ummat family while still in her
teens.
When her husband fell sick in
Nawanshahr, he expressed a desire to see
his wife who had gone to visit her parents. Baba Vishnu, the purohit
of the Ummat family went to bring her. She dressed up as a bride would
when leaving her in-laws place for Nawanshahr.
On
the way to the town, she is said to have stopped at the cremation
ground and told Baba Vishnu that my husband is being brought to this
place so there is no need for me to go to my in-laws house.
True enough, her husband had indeed passed away and was being brought
to the cremation ground. Mehran Sati is said to have sat in the pyre
and performed Sati as her husband’s body was lit. Baba Vishnu who had
accompanied the young Mehran also gave up his life in the same pyre.
When
Mehran Sati was cremated, a Choubara was built in the
place. The Sati Sthan came to be known as Choubara Wali Sati.
Before her death, she is reported to have said that married women
of Ummat family should not wear dark green clothes, green glass
bangles or put surma in their eyes.
Presently the place has a room in which the samadhi of
Mehran Sati is
located. The outer area is bounded by walls and houses the samadhi of
Baba Vishnu. A Chaubara is being built on top of the room.
Sati Shrad:
As
per the Shrad tradition, on the seventh day of the Shrad period, a
married Brahmin woman whose husband is still alive is fed with food
and sweets.
Sati Jhumma:
It is said that whenever a member of the
Ummat family
is in difficulty, five members of the family sit together and worship
Mehran Sati and request her to help them. They pledge at this time to
offer Thumma.
After the difficulty is overcome, the family makes two and quarter kg.
sweets. Out of this seven pieces are offered to Sati Mata and
Baba
Vishnu. The balance of the sweets
are distributed only amongst the
members of the Ummat family as prasad. Married female members of the
family are not supposed to take this.
Every Diwali:
before starting the celebrations, sweets are offered at the Sati Sthan
and diyas are lit by members of the Ummat family at the samadhis of
Mehran Sati and Baba Vishnu.
After the marriage of any member of the
Ummat family, the
groom is
supposed to go to the Sati Sthan and offer his prayers.
Daughters and daughter-in-laws are not supposed to visit the
Sati Sthan for worship as per the tradition.
Some members of our family are already actively engaged in affecting
improvements to the Sati Sthan. We welcome suggestions from every
member of the Ummat family on keeping this important part of the
family alive.
There are four
other "sati's" in Ummat family normally TOHI Sati,
Jayanthi Sati, BRAI
Sati, and NANKI sati, However in absence of details about them, we are
unable to furnish any.
Mehran
Sathi Sthan
