Authorities have decided to stop the VIP ‘darshan’ service at the Kashi Vishwanath temple here from February 25 to 27 in anticipation of a significant influx of pilgrims during Mahashivratri.
Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, the chief executive officer of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, states that the return flow of devotees from the adjacent Prayagraj Maha Kumbh has resulted in a considerable rise in the number of visitors to the temple.
As the Kumbh Mela and Mahashivratri co-occur on February 26 this year, he said, pilgrims from all across the nation as well as saints from different akharas, including Naga sadhus, are anticipated to come in great numbers to offer prayers.
“On this occasion, the Naga akharas will also take out a grand procession, which will temporarily block general access through gate number 4 of the temple. Regular devotees will probably have to wait longer as a result of this.
Long periods of waiting might be harmful to one’s health, particularly for women, children, and senior citizens, given the hot and humid weather.
In light of this, officials have chosen to stop VIP darshan entirely for the next three days,” he stated.
According to Mishra, over 12 lakh devotees came to Kashi Vishwanath Dham for Mahashivratri last year. The number will be expected to be significantly larger, though, because this is a Maha Kumbh year.
The importance of Mahashivratri for Kashi was highlighted by Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, who stated that 6 to 9 lakh people attend the Kashi Vishwanath temple every day during the Maha Kumbh.
It is anticipated that the number will rise to 10 to 12 lakh on Mahashivratri. The number of lines at all four temple gates has been widened to handle the enormous number of people, and special times have been set aside for akharas and Naga sadhus, with the remaining times being set aside for regular devotees, Sharma added.
He said that more services have been set up on the temple grounds, such as drinking water stations, ORS and glucose supply, waiting places with shade, medical facilities, and ambulances.
According to Gaurav Banswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone), police have designated 55 areas in the city where barricading would be used for crowd control and security.
Thirteen areas of the Kashi Vishwanath temple grounds have been designated for specialised police units. He stated that barricading will be reinforced up to Dashashwamedh Ghat and that the region between Godowlia and Maidagin intersection has been designated as a no-vehicle zone.
Eight traffic inspectors, 24 traffic sub-inspectors, 164 head constables, and more than 300 house guards would be stationed across the city to guarantee efficient traffic flow, he continued.
The website of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple states that the noon ‘Bhog Aarti’ would take place at 11.35 am on Mahashivratri, while the ‘Mangala Aarti’ will be conducted at 2.15 am.
On February 26, however, it was announced that there would be no Saptarishi Aarti (6.15 pm), Shringar-Bhog Aarti (8 pm), or Shayan Aarti (10.30 pm).
On the day of Mahashivratri, the temple will remain open and hold a four-hour aarti from 11 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. the following day. “The following day of Mahashivratri, mangala aarti will not be performed,” the website’s statement noted, citing the temple’s confidence.
On February 26, Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, comes to an end. The Uttar Pradesh government reports that over 62 crore pilgrims have visited the huge Hindu festival thus far.
