Thousands of devotees thronged prominent Shiva temples in Varanasi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Barabanki and other districts of Uttar Pradesh on the last Monday of the Sawan month, braving heavy rain in some areas.
Around one lakh devotees offered prayers and darshan at the temple by 7 am, according to the administration.
The temple administration said devotees were welcomed with a shower of rose petals.
Temple authorities at other major shrines also reported unprecedented footfall during the Sawan month. Several permanent ghats along the Ganga and the Sangam remain submerged, prompting the administration to implement special measures for pilgrims taking ritual baths before visiting temples. In Barabanki, a massive gathering of devotees was witnessed at the famous Lodheswar Mahadeva pilgrimage centre, with devotees from several districts arriving since Sunday evening. ( With PTI inputs )
Officials estimate that more than 37 lakh devotees have performed ‘Jalabhishek’ in the district during the Sawan month so far. Shridharanand Brahmachari, chief administrator of Mankameshwar temple in Sangam area, said interval-based estimates through CCTV cameras showed that more than 2.5 lakh devotees visited the temple on the final Sawan Monday alone. Between 15 lakh and 17 lakh devotees visited the temple during the month so far, according to him.
In Prayagraj, more than seven lakh devotees offered ‘Jalabhishek’ to Lord Shiva at temples across the district during the day, according to a state government spokesperson. Brajesh Kumar Tiwari, in charge of the NDRF unit in Prayagraj, said teams had been deployed at various locations to avert any mishap. “Our 30-member team is on alert and is ready to deal with any disaster-related incident,” he added. “Rudrabhishek is believed to make Lord Shiva happy and bring peace, prosperity and growth,” said Rakesh Tiwari, media in-charge of the temple.
