Lakhs of devotees gathered at major Shiva temples across the country on the third Monday of Sawan, which coincided with Nag Panchami, offering prayers and water to Lord Shiva amid tight security arrangements.
In Varanasi, a massive crowd of devotees and Kanwariyas thronged the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham despite rain. Devotees waited in long queues for darshan and offered water to Baba Vishwanath. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers, while drone surveillance was used to monitor the crowds.
At Kashi Vishwanath Dham, devotees and Kanwariyas were welcomed with a shower of flowers. The temple was decorated for the occasion, while devotees attended the Mangala Aarti and raised chants of “Har Har Mahadev”.
ACP Dashashwamedh Atul Anjaan said lakhs of devotees had been arriving since morning and that boat operations had been suspended due to the rising water level.
“Today is the third Monday of Sawan, and it is also the festival of Nag Panchami. Lakhs of devotees have been arriving since morning. As the water level is quite high and continues to rise, the operation of boats has been suspended,” Anjaan said.
DIG Shivhari Meena said officers had been deployed since midnight to ensure the orderly movement of devotees.
“Today is the third Monday of Sawan. As you can see, all the officers have been on duty since midnight. Everyone is out in the field, and the queues are being managed in an orderly manner,” he told IANS.
In Ayodhya, lakhs of devotees gathered at Siddh Peeth Nageshwar Nath temple to offer water to Lord Shiva. The city echoed with chants of “Bam Bam Bhole”, with extensive security arrangements and CCTV surveillance put in place.
In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, thousands of devotees visited the Mahakaleshwar Temple. The temple opened at 2:30 a.m., followed by the special Bhasma Aarti at 3 a.m. Baba Mahakal was adorned after a grand Panchamrit Abhishek.
In Vasai, Maharashtra, a large number of devotees gathered at the hilltop Tungareswar Mahadev Temple. Long queues formed from the night as devotees waited for darshan amid chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bol Bam”.
In Banka, Bihar, devotees began arriving at temples around 2 a.m. Kanwariyas carrying Ganga water from Sultanganj reached Banka after travelling nearly 50 km on foot and by vehicles.
(IANS Inputs)
