Jhulelal Jayanti 2022: Find date, time, history and significance of Sindhi festival Cheti Chand

Cheti Chand is a significant festival that is celebrated by the Sindhi community around the world, especially in countries like India and Pakistan. This grand festival marks the birth of Ishta Deva Uderolal, who is popularly known as Lord Jhulelal; which is why the occasion is also known as Jhulelal Jayanti. Lord Jhulelal is a patron saint of the Sindhis, who is often depicted as an old man sporting white beard and moustache. Usually, the date of Cheti Chand is decided based on the Hindu calendar. As per the calendar, this festival is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra Shukla Paksha, when the new moon becomes visible after no moon day. On many occasions, the festival is marked a day after Ugadi and Gudi Padwa. Moreover, the day is known as Cheti Chand because of the first appearance of the moon during the Cheti month. The Sindhi community begins their new year with this much-awaited festival, wherein devotees of Jhulelal celebrate the occasion as a ‘ThanksGiving Day’. Cheti Chand Date and Time: According to Drikpanchang, Cheti Chanda will be celebrated on 2 April, 2022. The Cheti Chanda Muhurat will begin at 6:52 pm and end at 7:53 pm. The Pratipada Tithi will begin at 11:53 am on 1 April (Friday) while it will conclude at 11:58 am on 2 April (Saturday). History and Significance: To date, the exact year of the birth of Saint Jhulelal is not known. But scriptures reveal that he was born in the 10th century in Sindh, which is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. During that time, Sindh was under the rule of Sumras, who were tolerant to other religions. However, a dictator named Mirkshah used to threaten the Sindhi Hindus to either convert to Islam or face death. The scared Sindhis then prayed to River God to guard them against forced conversion. Finally, after 40 days of worship, their prayers were answered. Through a divine prophecy, the people were informed about a child’s birth to a couple that lived in Nasarpur. As per the prophecy, the baby was born to Devaki and Ratanchand Lohano and the child was named Udaichand. One day, the parents noticed that the cradle which was carrying the baby rocked on its own; so, they started addressing him as Jhulelal from that day onwards. Years later, Mirkhshah made several attempts to kill the boy but failed. He then accepted his defeat after realising the might and power of Udaichand.