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Fourth Monday of Sawan: Prayagraj district administration showers flower petals on Kanwariyas from helicopter
As part of their annual pilgrimage trek to Varanasi, Shiva devotees fill the sacred water of the Ganga from the riverbanks and offer it at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, the abode of Baba Vishwanath.
On the fourth Monday of the holy month of Sawan, the district administration showered flower petals on thousands of Kanwariyas at Sangam and at all major Ganga ghats, including Phaphamau and Dashashwamedh ghats besides prominent Shiva temples and routes to Varanasi in Prayagraj.
As part of their annual pilgrimage trek to Varanasi, Shiva devotees fill the sacred water of the Ganga from the riverbanks and offer it at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, the abode of Baba Vishwanath.
Moved by the welcome, the ghats teeming with Kanwariyas of all age groups reverberated with the chants of ‘bam bam bhole’ and ‘har har Mahadev’ as the chopper carrying district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri, DCP (trans-Ganga) Abhishek Bharti, DCP Abhinav Tyagi showered flower petals on them.
Bhanupratap, who embarked on a sacred journey to offer Ganga water to the Padila Mahadev Temple after collecting it from Dashashwamedh Ghat in Daraganj, was deeply touched by the immense respect and consideration shown to the devotees. He described it as “not a shower of flowers, but a shower of blessings of Mahadev, which only a chief minister like Yogi Adityanath is capable of doing.”
DM Sanjay Kumar Khatri said that on the instructions of the state government, flowers were showered. This gesture extended beyond the Sangam and the banks of the Ganga. The flowers were also showered on all the routes through which the Kanwariyas passed across districts, he added.
Since morning, devotees were seen forming a beeline at every small and big temple of lord Shiva with the maximum rush being witnessed at the revered Mankameshwar temple, Beni Madhav temple and Takshakeshwar Nath temple. Likewise, devotees in large numbers also turned up at Padila Mahadeo temple of Phaphamau.
Throwing light on the importance of the holy month of Shrawan, Pt Diwakar Tripathi Purvanchali, director of Utthan Jyotish Sansthan, Prayagraj said, “Lord Shiva showers blessings on all those who worship him from their heart and the month of Sawan and especially the on the Somvars (Mondays), are considered highly auspicious for paying obeisance to lord Shiva.”
It is believed that the worship of Shiva during sawan month is 108 times more impactful than worshipping on normal days, he added.
Foolproof arrangements in place
The administration has made all the arrangements for the convenience and safety of the devotees. According to the police commissioner of Prayagraj, Ramit Sharma, continuous patrolling is in effect on all the routes and ghats used by the devotees. The use of drones in sensitive areas offers an added layer of security. The administration is also giving attention to special monitoring and arrangement on the cut and contact routes. To enhance safety, signages have been installed at blind turns along the Kanwar Yatra routes. Additionally, measures have been taken to ensure that no egg-meat-fish shops are open on the route, as per specific orders issued to the police station personnel concerned.
Traditional dance, songs and music along with bhajan, kirtan and devotional songs are also allowed in the yatra, but the administration has appealed to the people to ensure that the sound of DJ, song-music etc. remained within the prescribed limits.
