New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS): The ongoing Maha Kumbh has witnessed an overwhelming turnout of devotees not just in Prayagraj, the city hosting world's largest religious gathering but also in Varanasi, especially at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
While crores of pilgrims take holy dip in Maha Kumbh, millions of devotees are also flocking to Varanasi to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The temple which underwent extensive renovation recently, is setting a new record in terms of daily footfalls as the devotees are breaking previous records, including those of Sawan and Shivaratri.
A brief glimpse of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor shows devotees standing in lines, stretching up to 5 kms for offering prayers to Baba Vishwanath. On an average, 5 to 7 lakh devotees are visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple daily, bringing total number of pilgrims to the temple, past one crore mark.
In light of the high number of visitors, temple administration has put in place special measures to manage the crowd. Barricades have been set up to guide devotees for darshan, while the options for Sparsh Darshan (touching the idol) and Ticketed Darshan have been temporarily suspended to ensure smooth operations.
A devotee from Delhi, Jagdeesh Kumar, shared his experience, saying, “I have heard a lot about this sacred place and visited this time. The Kumbh is overwhelmed with devotees, and it’s amazing to see such a massive gathering of devotees in Kashi. I urge every Hindu to come here and visit the nearby temples to witness the beautiful depiction of faith, religion, and this outstanding management.”
Another devotee from Kanpur remarked, “It’s amazing to visit Varanasi during Kumbh as people are also coming here after the Kumbh. It took me two hours just to do the darshan, but the experience is worth it.”
Seema Khandelwal, a devotee from Rajasthan, also expressed her feelings, saying, “This is truly a gathering of faith. It’s so satisfying to be a part of it. The same crowd is seen in Maha Kumbh, and it is well-managed.”
As the temple's administration and local authorities are working tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of every pilgrim, the spiritual atmosphere of Varanasi has transformed into a hub of devotion.