Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), April 11 (IANS) From atop the ridge of this complex, once Mughal emperor Akbar's capital, one can see a sea of humanity. People waving red flags, donning red scarves, shouting slogans, almost in a divine hysteria. Most walk, but some travel on decorated carts and rickshaws.
The annual Karauli Devi Mela, one of the biggest congregations of devotees in this part of India, has begun. The Kaila Devi shrine is situated in Karauli district of Rajasthan in the Aravali ranges, some 250 km west of Agra.
Hordes of pilgrims from all over Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and the Braj Mandal districts Agra, Aligarh, Firozabad and Mathura have begun their annual yatra to the shrine.
The estimated number of pilgrims visiting the shrine this year could cross seven million, according to shopkeepers along the pilgrim route.
The Rajasthan government has made elaborate security and medical arrangements for the pilgrims.
The celebrations in the Ma Raj Rajeshwari Kaila Devi temple will continue till April 16, when the festival ends, according to an official of the trust which runs the shrine affairs.
"It's a flood of humanity on the Agra-Jaipur highway. Some take three days, others a week, while most take a motor vehicle to reach Karauli for a darshan of the goddess during the Navratras," said a devotee, Mahesh Shukla.
Many devouts are observing the ritual of 'dandauti parikrama', covering the entire distance by lying down and rolling over.
"The loudspeakers add to the religious cacophony, blaring devotional songs round the clock. Luckily, the weather is fine, and the mood is truly upbeat," said Kok Singh of Agra.
Both Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Roadways buses are making extra trips, in addition to a special train from the Agra Cantonment railway station.
All along the route, various social organisations have put up makeshift shelters and water huts and are distributing puris, subzi and halwa to the pilgrims. Lines of shops have sprouted along the route, selling chunaris, coconuts and other puja materials.
Every few kilometres, there is a shelter with food, medical help and resting place for the devotees.
Fifty truckloads of food items have been sent to these shelters by various groups in Agra.
"This year, new devotional songs have been released. Raen baseras (night shelters) have been put up at almost every village on the way," said Ajeet Sikarwar, a pilgrim.
"I think at least 100 camps have been put up on the way," according to Shiv Prakash. "The 'jhanki' of Dev Lok near Fatehpur Sikri attracted a lot of praise from the pilgrims," he added.
Karauli Devi Ka Mela is a sort of Kumbh Mela in the part of the Braj Mandal area touching Bharatpur and Dholpur districts in Rajasthan.
According to the former ruler of Karauli state and temple trustee Naresh Krishna Chandra Pal, former legislator Rohini Kumari and temple priest Dinesh Guru, the number of pilgrims this year could go up by a million.. Almost 80 percent of the pilgrims are from the Agra region alone.
The authorities have installed 30 CCTV cameras at the temple for increased security. The temple trust also runs 30 dharamshalas (inns) for the pilgrims.
Temples dedicated to the goddess in the city have been given a festive look with flags and red bunting flying high. This is also the time for celebrations in the rural hinterland, with wrestling matches, melas and get-togethers in anticipation of a bumper crop.