Dhrang or Dhrung is a small village located in Kutch District of Gujarat State of India. The village is on border to Pakistan. The other known village nearby is Lodai. The village is known and famous for Samadhi of Sant Mekan Dada and his five disciples and his animal friends ''Laliyo'', the donkey and ''Motiyo'', the dog. A fair is held in memory of

Mekan Dada Sant Mekan Dada or Mekan baba (1667–1730 AD) was a Sufi saint from Kutch, Gujarat, India. Biography Mekan Dada it is said was born in 1667 (Vikram Samvant 1723). He spent his life traveling across the Rann of Kutch, doing this humanitarian s ...

every year in

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

month of '' Magh'' (February–March), which ends on day of

Mahashivratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...

. The fair being traditionally held over the centuries, is now promoted by Government of Gujarat. The temple and Samadhi of Mekan Dada is visited by people from all over Gujarat as well Rajasthan at time of this fair. Among the major follower of Mekan Dada are

Ahir Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

, who consider him as their God. The

Kapadi Kapadi, also known as Kapdi is a small community in Gujarat. History The Kapadi Sampradaya claim to be descendants of Lalu Jasraj, the guide of the Hindu deity Rama, or either claim to be descendants of Rama's army as they marched through the ...

community, to whom the Sant Mekan Dada belonged are major disciples and also manage the temple premises and Akhara, also known as ''Mekan Dada no Akharo''. Mistri and

Rabari The Rabari people (also known as Desai, Rabari, Raika, and Dewasi people) are an ethnic group from the Rajasthan also found in Gujarat Kutch region. Origin Myth The Rabari myth of origin is kshatriya that Shiva put them on earth to tend to the c ...

also are his followers. The temple was built by architects belonging to Mistri community, under patronage of King of Kutch. Rao

Deshalji II Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Shri Deshalji II Sahib Bahadur (b 1814- d 1860) (reign: 1819–1860) was the Rao of Cutch belonging to Jadeja dynasty, who ascended the throne of Princely State of Cutch upon deposition of his father Bharmalji II b ...

of Kutch was also a follower of Mekan Dada. The samadhi of one Mistri Kanji, who was among the first five disciples of Sant Mekan Dada, is also within this premises.

External links

* http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/dhrang-fair.htm Villages in Kutch district {{Kachchh-geo-stub