A holiday has been declared on Tuesday, October 15, for the Panchayat elections in Punjab. Also, the state government has declared a holiday on October 17 on the occasion of Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti. Actually, the atmosphere in the state is quite heated regarding the Panchayat elections. In this regard, all government offices, boards, corporations, schools and colleges in the state will remain closed.
Let us tell you that elections are to be held on October 15 in more than 3,000 Gram Panchayats. October 4 was the last date for nomination. Scrutiny of nomination papers was completed on October 5.
Maharishi Valmiki on October 17
All schools, colleges and government offices will remain closed on this occasion. This holiday has been declared for all citizens in honor of Valmiki Jayanti. Maharishi Valmiki's birth anniversary is celebrated every year on the full moon day of the month of Ashwin. In the year 2024, Valmiki Jayanti will be celebrated on October 17. This day is also known as Pragat Divas.
Know the history of Valmiki Jayanti
Maharishi Valmiki met Lord Rama during his exile. He also rescued Sita when Lord Rama exiled her from the kingdom of Ayodhya and gave her shelter. It was in his ashram that Sita gave birth to twins Luv and Kush. During childhood, the great sage became her instructor and taught her the Ramayana which has 24,000 verses (Shlokas) and 7 cantos (Kand).
Valmiki is called by many names by his devotees such as Valmiki, Ratnakar, Lal Beg and Bala Shah. He has also been given honorifics such as Adi Kavi, Pratham Kavi and Maharishi.