Varanasi,
31 Dec (HS): An unprecedented crowd of devotees and tourists is gathering in
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the English New Year. After reaching
Kashi, devotees are taking a bath in the Ganga and visiting the Shri Kashi
Vishwanath Temple for darshan and worship, due to which a huge crowd is being
seen in the temple complex and the streets adjoining it. In view of the
continuously increasing number of devotees, the temple administration has
already temporarily banned the darshan of the sanctum sanctorum. Security
and arrangements have been further strengthened in the temple complex.
Vishwabhushan
Mishra, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, said
on Wednesday that more than 2 million devotees have visited Baba Vishwanath in
the last week of December alone. Meanwhile, 1.1 million devotees have visited
and worshipped in the last three days alone. The flow of devotees continues
unabated. He said that last year, approximately five lakh devotees visited the
temple on the occasion of New Year's Day, while this year the number is
expected to increase to 7 to 8 lakh. Based on this estimate, the temple
administration has made extensive preparations.
The
CEO stated that temple trust personnel are ensuring that every devotee receives
a smooth and orderly darshan. Special attention is being paid to entry, exit,
queue arrangements, and guidelines. Necessary arrangements, such as a lost and
found center, emergency medical services, and help desks, have also been made
for the convenience of devotees. He explained that end-to-end barricading has
been installed within the temple complex to ensure crowd management. While on
normal days, devotees are allowed entry through four gates, due to the
excessive crowds, entry is currently being allowed through five gates. He also
clarified that the Sparsh Darshan or special darshan system has been suspended
until January 3. Further decisions will be made after reviewing the crowd
situation.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
