1,200 members of single family meet

Agra: It was a unique family gathering - 1,200 members of a single family tree meeting for their annual gol gosthi meet.

They arrived from 45 different Indian cities for the meeting at Agra's Ashish Garden earlier this week.

The milan samaroh gathering has been the talk of the town for the strong bonds among family members, who identify themselves as members of the Har Sahay Sangh.

The gathering was headed by 95-year-old Mahavir Sharan, while the youngest was four-month-old Ashmit.

"The family is now 350 years old," says reigning patriarch Mahavir Saran, who was a freedom fighter.

A prominent family member, Alok Arya, said the family's branches are now spread from Andaman Islands to Agra.

"Our family is known to have built a number of dharamshalas (rest houses), hospitals and schools," he says.

The Har Sahay Sangh members owe allegiance to Muni Har Sahay Baba.