Lucknow: Despite the prevailing severe cold wave, there has been no decline in the enthusiasm of devotees across Uttar Pradesh. Major religious centres in the state are witnessing massive crowds, creating a festive atmosphere in the final days of the year as people seek to begin the New Year with divine blessings.
Heavy footfall has been reported at prominent pilgrimage sites including Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and temples in Mathura and Vrindavan. In view of the surge, the administration and temple authorities have put in place extensive security and crowd management arrangements.
Amid biting cold conditions, a large number of devotees and tourists have thronged Agra and Mathura ahead of the New Year. In Vrindavan alone, around one lakh devotees visited temples on Monday. Temple managements have appealed to devotees to avoid visiting Vrindavan between December 29 and January 5 due to extreme crowd pressure.
Advisories have been issued urging devotees not to bring persons with disabilities, the elderly, the sick, children and pregnant women during peak days. Visitors have also been asked to avoid wearing valuables or carrying bags while entering temple premises, as heavy congestion is expected. Devotees have been advised to assess crowd conditions before planning their visit.
To regulate traffic, the entry of outside vehicles into Vrindavan has been restricted until January 2, while a similar restriction will remain in force in Barsana till January 5.
Tourist footfall has also surged at the Taj Mahal. On Sunday, 46,748 tourists visited the monument after purchasing tickets. Including children below 15 years who are allowed free entry, the total number of visitors is estimated to be around 70,000.
In Varanasi, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple administration has suspended the facility of sparsh darshan until January 3 due to the overwhelming crowd. Devotees are currently being allowed only jhanki darshan. Arrangements similar to those implemented during Mahakumbh and the holy month of Sawan have been made to manage the influx.
Chief Executive Officer of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Vishnu Bhushan Mishra, said a review of the crowd situation will be conducted after January 3, following which a decision on resuming sparsh darshan will be taken. Sub Divisional Magistrate of the temple area, Shambhu Sharan, has also appealed to devotees to avoid temple visits with elderly persons, children and the sick in view of the cold weather and heavy crowd.
The administration has restricted the entry of four wheeler vehicles bearing registration numbers from outside districts beyond Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, except for ambulances, emergency vehicles and two wheelers. At Vindhyavasini Dham, devotees will not be allowed to touch the feet of the deity during the New Year period.
Medical teams have been deployed to provide prompt treatment to elderly devotees in case of health complications due to the cold. While no formal guidelines have been issued in Ayodhya so far, the influx of devotees continues to rise steadily despite the harsh winter conditions.
