Varanasi/Sambhal/Lucknow/Jaunpur,

04 Aug (HS): On the

fourth and last Monday of the holy month of Shravan, chanting of Har Har

Mahadev and Bam Bam Bhole echoed in the air as pilgrims flocked to Shiva

temples around Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of pilgrims lined in Varanasi since

early dawn to offer prayers at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, where Lord

Shiva's image was decked with Rudraksha on the auspicious day. Varanasi Mayor

Ashok Tiwari greeted worshipers to the temple grounds by showering them with

flower petals. The temple trust stated that considerable plans had been made to

ensure a seamless and secure darshan experience, including drinking water

stations, medical help desks, lost-and-found centers, and security checks.

Despite the occasional rains in Sambhal,

notable temples such as the Mouchhon Wale Shiva Temple in Chandausi, Saadat

Badi Pataleshwar in Bahjoi, and the Kartikeya Mahadev Temple, which reopened

for devotees after 46 years, experienced substantial foot traffic. Thousands of

kanwariyas bringing gangajal from Rajghat, Narora, Haridwar, and Brijghat

donated it to local temples. Roads throughout districts resonated with

religious shouts as devotees made their way to temples for Shravan's last

Monday. Police officers were deployed in

considerable numbers to regulate crowds and maintain security.

Manoj Gupta, a local, claimed he and 21

other couples did Rudrabhishek at Chamunda Temple.

Even the rain

couldn't dampen our enthusiasm, said Bhuvanesh Kumar Varshney, another devotee

who attended Chandausi's morning prayers despite the rainfall. In Lucknow,

there was a large gathering visiting the Mankeshwar temple despite the rains.

On the last Monday of the month of

Sawan, a huge crowd of devotees gathered in the Shiva temples. Thousands of

devotees reached the temples since morning for Jalabhishek. On this occasion,

special cleaning of all the Shiva temples was done a day before on Sunday.

Along with this, tight security arrangements were also made. Despite the rain,

a large number of devotees left to collect water from Vindhyachal, Prayagraj

and Varanasi. The entire district has become Shiva-filled with the chanting of

Har Har Mahadev. Crowds of devotees gathered in the five Shivalayas of the

city, Jageshwarnath Temple, Chhoti Kashi and Mahadev Temple located at Baba Ji

Kutiya. Huge crowds of devotees were also seen in Shiva temples such as

Trilochan Mahadev, Sainath Mahadev, Karshulnath Mahadev, Gauri Shankar Mahadev

Sujanganj, Ghasitanath Mahadev, Gomateshwar Mahadev Kerakat, Diyawa Nath

Mahadev and Bhola Shankar Mahadev located in the rural areas of the district to

perform the anointment of Shivlings with milk and water.

Apart from the Adi Ganga Gomti flowing

in the district, thousands of devotees reached Shiva temples carrying the water

of Mokshadayini Maa Ganga from Kashi and Prayagraj for Abhishek. Many devotees

have also gone to Kashi Vishwanath and Deoghar (Jharkhand). Many devotees have

also set out on the pilgrimage of Baba Amarnath Barfani, Pashupatinath and

Mahakaleshwar and other Jyotirlingas in this holy month.

Thousands of devotees gathered in the

ancient Sarnath Mahadev temple Shambhu Ganj in Jaunpur since 4 am. Mahant Mala

Shukla of the temple said that thousands of devotees have been visiting Lord

Bholenath and offering water since morning. She said that Lord Bholenath is

self-manifested here and this Shivling originated from the earth hundreds of

years ago. Apart from the month of Sawan, there is always a crowd of devotees here.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi