Dec. 27: It is the season of religious jamborees in the headquarters town of Silchar.

Close on the heels of the 119th birth anniversary of Thakur Anukulchandra on December 17 and Christmas on Monday, around one lakh people congregated yesterday to observe the birthday of a preacher, Swami Swarupananda Paramhanswadev.

Followers of Swami Swarupananda generally gather together to chant the refrain of Hari Om during mass prayers. Yesterday’s session attracted a mammoth one lakh-strong crowd.

One of Swami Swarupananda’s disciples, Nanda Gopal Goswami, said the idea was to bring together followers of all religions on a single platform to preach the essence of the power of the Om, or the omnipotent.

The organiser claimed it was one of the largest congregations for a mass prayer session to seek peace in this strife-torn world and bind people of all religious with the thread of humanity.

Police breathed a sigh of relief as the devotees — both men and women dressed in white — were disciplined. At least five units of the CRPF and a huge police contingent commandeered by Cachar superintendent of police S. Gogoi had been deployed to control the crowd.

Disciples of Swami Swarupananda from all parts of the country and abroad, including the US, the UK, Australia, Bangladesh and Ireland, participated in the mass prayer session. As many as 35 schools, four colleges and four marriage halls in Silchar town had been converted into dormitories to accommodate the disciples.

The district administration declared a local holiday to enable residents of the town to attend the religious meet. ]

At least 1,600 trained volunteers helped police and the CRPF maintain order at the venue. Prasad was distributed at two schools close to the ground where the devotees gathered.

The highlight of the daylong programme was the religious meeting in the evening. The cynosure of all eyes during the prayer session, held in three large adjoining sports grounds, was Samhita Devi, the successor to Swami Swarupananda.

Samhita Devi is the head of the Ajachak Ashram and the educational institution founded by Swami Swarupananda.

Samhita Devi will anoint those willing to become disciples of Swami Sawrupananda at a special three-day diksha ceremony, beginning tomorrow at the Ajachak Ashram.