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Kanwar Yatra concludes: Over 4L devotees expected at Augharnath Temple; elaborate arrangements made
The district administration has made elaborate arrangement in and around the temple in order to ensure safety of kanwarias.
MEERUT More than 4 lakh Shiv devotees are likely to offer prayers and the holy Gangajal in the historical Shri Baba Augharnath Shiv Temple on the auspicious day of Shivratri on Saturday.
Lakhs of kanwarias, who have brought Gangajal in their kanwar from Haridwar and other pilgrimage places, will offer Gangajal to Lord Shiva in the temple from 8 pm on Saturday.
Augharnath Temple management committee’s general secretary Satish Kumar Singhal said that four lakh Shiv devotees, including kanwarias, will start offering puja and Gangajal in the temple from 8 pm onwards. “The puja and offering of Gangajal will continue until the last kanwaria offer his or her puja to Lord Shiva”, said Singhal, who anticipated that 4 lakh Shiv devotees are likely to offer puja in the temple on the auspicious day of Shivratri.
Singhal said over 50,000 devotees and kanwarias have already offered puja and Gangajal in Augharnath Temple and thousands of kanwarias were desperately waiting for their turn to offer Jal outside the temple. “The auspicious time for offering Jal in the temple would begin from 8 pm and hence, the kanwarias, who live in far flung places in and around the district, have already offered Jal,” said Singhal.
Meanwhile, the district administration has made elaborate arrangement in and around the temple in order to ensure safety of kanwarias.
A high-tech control room has been established inside the Augharnath Temple. More than hundred CCTV cameras have been installed at city’s different locations in and around the temple premises. Singhal said that these CCTV cameras are linked with the control room and cops on duty would keep a close watch on all these locations from the control room. They can also address people of a specific location from the control room. CCTV cameras live feed also be available on mobile phones and tablets of officials.
At least five drones are also being used to keep a watch on the movement of kanwarias and their security. Additional force, including a team of women cops, has been deployed to ensure safety and security of kanwarias.
Puramahadev temple in Baleni town of Bagpat is another historic temple where lakhs of kanwarias from Meerut, Baghpat, and other districts arrive to offer puja and Gangajal. An elaborate security arrangement has also been made there to ensure safety of kanwarias.
Meanwhile, a surprise visit of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Meerut and showering of flower petals on kanwarias by him remained the topic of discussion among kanwarias. A kanwaria, Nain Singh, of Shergarhi area in Meerut said, “It was indeed a good gesture from the chief minister who took time from his busy schedule to welcome and honour Shiv devotees.” Many other kanwarias also appreciated the CM’s gesture.
Officials in different districts also showered flower petals on kanwarias. SP (traffic), Jitendra Srivastava, said that traffic diversions would be lifted from midnight on Saturday. Normal traffic will resume thereafter, he added.
