Pradeep Mishra's Shiv Mahapuran Katha Day-1: Hotels & Lodges In Sehore Fully Booked As Nearly 1 Lakh Devotees Gather

Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): Hotels & lodges in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore are going fully booked as nearly a lakh of people gathered to attend 7-day Shiv Mahapuran by Pandit Pradeep Mishra, starting today.

To accommodate the devotees, three temporary shelters have been erected in the temple premises, all quickly reaching their full capacity ahead of Maha Shivratri.

Residents have also converted their houses to guest houses to accommodate the visitors and earn a side buck.

Learning from the bitter experiences of the previous year, the police and district administration created parking spaces in empty fields and diverted routes to ease the flow of heavy traffic. Around 1500 personnel from various forces, including the SAF, STF, Traffic Police, and Armed Forces, have been deployed in Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Morena, Shivpuri, and Sehore to manage traffic and crowds.

However, this year the event witnessed a major 60% drop in footfall, compared to 2023 when nearly 5 lakh devotees from across the country had gathered.

In preparation for the Katha, both the police and district administration have been diligently organising. Learning from past experiences of disorder and traffic congestion on highways, police have designated separate routes for heavy vehicles to ensure smooth traffic flow on the Indore-Bhopal highway.

During last year's Rudraksha Mahotsav and Shiv Mahapuran at Kubereshwar Dham, heavy mismanagement occurred due to the sudden influx of more crowds on the first day itself. The highway between Indore and Bhopal was jammed for several kilometers, trapping thousands of vehicles. The situation remained congested throughout the day, and the temple premises also became uncontrollably crowded.

65-Year-Old Succumbs to Heart Attack While Attending Shiv Mahapuran Event

Despite the absence of a huge crowd, 65-year-old Ramgopal Varma, accompanied by his family, had arrived from Lucknow, to attend the Shiv Mahapuran at Kubereshwar Dham.

Unfortunately, on Thursday morning, Varma suffered a heart attack and died on the spot.