Haridwar temples, shrines to don saffron look for Mahakumbh 2021 - Hindustan Times
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Haridwar temples, shrines to don saffron look for Mahakumbh 2021

Hindustan Times, Haridwar | BySandeep Rawat | Edited by Sparshita Saxena
Nov 03, 2020 04:18 PM IST

Saffron and yellow colours will be used across the Kumbh mela zone in and around Har-Ki-Pauri area in Haridwar.

Taking a leaf from saffron colouring of temples, ashrams and other buildings during last year’s Prayagraj Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand government has decided to paint all such religious structures adjacent to Ganga in Haridwar in saffron colour for next year’s Mahakumbh.

An ashram building being given saffron colour as part of one colour code for buildings at Har-Ki-Pauri for Mahakumbh in Haridwar.(HT Photo)
An ashram building being given saffron colour as part of one colour code for buildings at Har-Ki-Pauri for Mahakumbh in Haridwar.(HT Photo)

Saffron and yellow colours will be used across the Kumbh mela zone in and around Har-Ki-Pauri area in Haridwar. Some ashrams, local priests and traders have already started colouring their religious structures in saffron and yellow.

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The Kumbh Mela administration, which had been dwelling on the move for quite some time, approached Akhadas, saints, pontiffs of ashrams-maths, traders and local people for more suggestions and cooperation in this regard.

Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA) has already completed a survey of 150 buildings and structures from British era Damkoti Ganga canal regulator Bridge till Sarvanand Ghat, adjacent to Badrinath-Mana-Ghaziabad Highway-58.

Kumbh Mela officer-in-charge Deepak Rawat has been pressing for one colour-look of the mela zone during the Mahakumbh for which he has been getting a good response from stakeholders. He has also suggested having the same size, font and signage boards of shops at city markets.

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According to additional district magistrate Kumbh Mela administration Harbeer Singh, temple managing committees, ashramites, hotel and trader associations and the locals have given their consent in carrying out the saffron and yellow colouring of their buildings.

Expressing happiness over the Mela administration’s move to give structures a similar look for the Mahakumbh, Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad said that they have been pressing for this for the past few years.

“In our Mahakumbh related meetings with chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, we had raised saffron colouring of buildings at Har-Ki-Pauri and mela zone to give a unique identity to the area. As pilgrims arrive in millions during Mahakumbh, the saffron colouring will add to the aura of the mega fair,” said Mahant Hari Giri Maharaj general secretary of Akhada Parishad.

Notably, after Mahakumbh 2010, the then district magistrate Nidhi Pandey in 2013 had decided to get the buildings and structures in and around Har-Ki-Pauri in pink to have a uniform look.

“One of the first hotels to be donned pink colour was mine at Subash Ghat in mid-2013. But in the initial phase of the pink colour drive, she got transferred and the pink drive got halted. But now we are ready again to have a uniform colouring of buildings for Mahakumbh,” said Aadesh Marwadi, a hotelier.

Meanwhile, Kamal Brijwasi, leader of the local trade body, has urged the state government and mela administration to allow pilgrims for Kumbh mela bath (snan) and set aside the e-pass system.

Brijwasi pointed out that for the past eight months the trader fraternity suffered a great deal due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Trade activities in Haridwar are directly related to pilgrim influx and Mahakumbh is held after every twelve years, therefore, he said, free movement of pilgrims should be allowed with Covid-19 precautions.

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