Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country on Tuesday reached Kurukshetra to take a holy dip in Brahma Sarovar and Sanhit Sarovar during the solar eclipse.
A huge rush of devotees could be seen at all the religious places of Kurukshetra, including Jyotisar and Pehowa, as the district administration predicted that around four lakh people may turn up due to the solar eclipse. The arrangements were made as hundreds of cops were deputed to monitor the situation closely as the solar eclipse occurred between 4.27 pm and 5.39 pm.
In the beginning, saints camping at the Brahma Sarovar took the bath during the “shahi snan” (royal bath) at Yudhishthira Ghat of the Brahma Sarovar and later the ghats were opened for the devotees.
Several diversions were made to avoid traffic jams as around 100 checkpoints were set up to manage the rush and movement of pilgrims.
Hariram Sharma, a devotee from Shimla, said he had come to take a holy dip at Kurukshetra as a bath in the holy sarovar at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse is considered auspicious.
Dharma Ram, who had come from Rajasthan with a group of 27 devotees, said, “This is for the second time that I have come here to take a holy dip during the solar eclipse. I feel blessed.” Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Sushant Sharma said elaborate arrangements were made for the pilgrims and around 250 CCTV cameras were installed in and around the Surya Grahan Mela area.
Even special trains were also running for Kurukshetra to facilitate the pilgrims. The district administration had made arrangements for 260 e-rickshaws and 20 mini-buses for the devotees proceeding to Brahma Sarovar.
{{/usCountry}}Even special trains were also running for Kurukshetra to facilitate the pilgrims. The district administration had made arrangements for 260 e-rickshaws and 20 mini-buses for the devotees proceeding to Brahma Sarovar.
{{/usCountry}}Kurukshetra SP Surender Singh Bhoria said nearly 4,000 policemen had been deployed for close monitoring and movement of traffic and several teams of the fire department had also been stationed at different spots. Multiple teams with motorboats and divers were also deployed to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.