Kanwar Yatra: Over 3 crore 'kanwariyas' visited Haridwar so far
Haridwar (Uttarakhand), July 26: As Kanwar Yatra is on the district magistrate of Uttarakhand said that more than three crore Shiva devotees have visited Haridwar till date to collect the holy Ganga water to be offered as 'Jalabhishek' to Lord Shiva.
While addressing the media, District Magistrate Vinay Shankar Pandey said that, "Till yesterday, the number of Kanwariyas was three crore and five lakhs, there is no doubt that the number of 'Kanwariyas' who are leaving from Haridwar are more compared to the 'Kanwariyas' who arrive here today."
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Keeping in view the Covid-19 situation in the country and following Covid protocols, Haridwar administration has made it compulsory for devotees to wear masks.
Moreover, people from local and nearby districts of Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur and those from local areas of Bijnor and Haridwar will also arrive to fetch the water of the Ganges.
On the occasion of Saawan Shivratri today, devotees took a holy dip at Har ki Pauri and offered prayers at Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple.
Following the Covid protocols, District Magistrate requested all the devotees to follow Covid rules and regulations and also made it compulsory to maintain social distancing and to avoid large crowds.
The official stated that, "We have passed an order to make masks mandatory. Apart from this, emphasis will also be given to increasing the testing, as well as examining the people who have fever through genome sequencing.”
"We have made arrangements to ensure that those in Haridwar do not face any problems, our efforts have been very collective and we are praying that the Kanwar Mela should be completed safely," he further said.
'Kanwar Yatra' is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees in which devotees are known as 'Kanwariyas' visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of the Ganges and then worship the God with the same water.
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The Kanwar Yatra has resumed this year after a gap of two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. Administrations of several areas are adopting necessary measures to avoid any untoward incidents during the holy pilgrimage.
-PTC News
