Bihar bans kanwar yatra, J’khand to seal Deoghar border

Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSRTB) on Tuesday decided to disallow kanwariyas (Lord Shiva devotees) from offering prayers at Shiva shrines across the state in the months of Shrawan (July and August) due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic

Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSRTB) on Tuesday decided to disallow kanwariyas (Lord Shiva devotees) from offering prayers at Shiva shrines across the state in the months of Shrawan (July and August) due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

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BRTB Chairman Akhilesh Kumar Jain said the board has decided not to allow kanwariyas to collect water in groups from rivers and to offer prayers at Shiva temples across the state, which they do on each Monday of the holy month of Shrawan. He said the government took the decision, for the second consecutive year, in view of a possible third wave of Covid-19. The move is aimed to prevent public gatherings at Garib Nath Dham, Hariharnath, Bihteshwar Nath, Baikunth Nath and Kusheshwarsthan.

Jain also requested people to refrain from participating in kanwar yatra this year.

Though the state government has allowed various activities in a phased manner under the unlock plan, all the religious sites and places of worship, including temples, remain shut in the state and devotees are not allowed to visit till August 6.

The month of Shrawan will start from July 25 this year.

The Shrawani Mela is organised every year in July and continues for a month. More than one crore pilgrims from across the country, besides neighbouring Nepal, fetch water from Ganga at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur and then walk for over 100 km to Jyotirlinga (a devotional representation of the Hindu god Shiva) at Deoghar in Jharkhand via Banka and Munger districts. They mostly travel on foot in groups.

Meanwhile, the Deoghar police officers held a meeting with their counterparts from Jamui and Banka districts of Bihar and decided to seal the borders of Bihar and Jharkhand for devotees. The Jharkhand Police have urged the Bihar Police to stop kanwariyas in their respective jurisdiction from crossing the border.

“Dumma, the entrance gate of Jharkhand, will be sealed and police will be deployed to stop kanwariyas coming through Bihar,” said Deoghar deputy superintendent of police Mangal Singh.