Lucknow: Today marks Sawan Shivratri, drawing massive crowds to temples across Uttar Pradesh. In Kashi, devotees thronged Baba Vishwanath Temple for brief darshans, amidst a showering of flowers from helicopters. The morning began with Mangala Aarti at 4 AM, followed by elaborate floral decorations before the temple doors opened to an estimated five lakh visitors.
In Ayodhya, a Kanwariya bus unexpectedly caught fire but was fortunately empty, as pilgrims were inside the temple for darshan. Firefighters swiftly brought the blaze under control. Demonstrating extraordinary devotion, Pehlwan Dhananjay Yadav crawled approximately 70 km from Jaunpur to offer water at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Separately, Sparsh Rathi from Baghpat ran an astonishing 140 km from Haridwar's Har Ki Pauri to his local Shiv Temple to perform jalabhishek.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind also participated in the festivities, offering prayers at Kanpur's Anandeshwar Temple. Meanwhile, in Basti, MP Manoj Tiwari presented Shiva bhajans late into the night, even performing a trident dance. Temples in Meerut, Ayodhya, and Moradabad also witnessed huge turnouts for Sawan Shivratri.
