Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Preparations for the Sharadiya Navratri festival are in full swing. This year, Goddess Durga is believed to arrive on an elephant (Gajvahaan), and the festival will last ten days as it coincides with Dashamali. According to Pandav Guruji, Tritiya Tithi will span two days, and the Ghatasthapana will take place in Uttara and Hasta Nakshatra with the Moon in Virgo, which is considered highly auspicious for farmers.
The famous Karnapura Yatra will commence on Monday. To ensure safety, the police and cantonment board have installed more than 130 advanced CCTV cameras. To prevent congestion, barriers will be placed in front of stalls and eateries along the procession routes.
On Monday, CEO of Cantonment Board Akanksha Tiwari, DCP Pankaj Atulkar, ACP Sanjay Sanap, and Police Station In-charge Dr Vivek Jadhav inspected the arrangements, discussed queue management with the temple administration, and reviewed crowd-control measures.
Compared to last year, police estimate 2 to 2.5 lakh devotees daily in the last five days of the yatra. A force of 350 police personnel, including 6 inspectors, 30 sub-inspectors, and plainclothes crime branch teams, will be on duty round-the-clock.
The temple administration has announced that darshan will remain closed between 11:00 PM and 4:00 AM. Separate queues for men and women will be arranged.
Devotees are urged to cooperate with security staff and follow the instructions to ensure smooth darshan. Around 800 stalls and hotels are expected along the route, but strict orders have been given to keep pathways clear.
