Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh): The 40th Mahishmati Narmada Panchakroshi Padyatra began on Sunday morning in Maheshwar with great devotion. Around 15,000 devotees, carrying saffron flags and chanting "Narmada Har", started their 70km five-day walk, heading to Choli village as their first stop.
The yatra began with special worship of Mother Narmada and a flag-worship ceremony at the Narmada ghat under the guidance of Pandit Pradeep Sharma. Devotees then sought blessings at the Lord Rajarajeshwar Temple before moving through Gandhi Chowk, Sheetla Mata Square and Vijay Stambh. Residents welcomed the pilgrims by showering flowers along the route.
Since Saturday evening, devotees had been arriving from districts including Khandwa, Indore, Dhar and Khargone, as well as from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The ghats and fort area were completely packed by night. Despite the summer heat, pilgrims walked barefoot with full faith and energy.
SHO Jagdish Goyal oversaw the security arrangements, ensuring smooth movement of the large crowd.
The yatra will pass through Jalud, Kasrawad and Jalkoti over five days and will return to Maheshwar on Hanuman Jayanti, concluding with a grand mahaprasad feast on the Narmada banks.
