India
pti-PTI
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday welcomed Kanwariyas in Meerut by showering them with flower petals, and said the devotees of Lord Shiva who are walking hundreds of kilometres present an example of social and national unity.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath showered flower petals on Kanwariyas in Meerut, highlighting their devotion as an example of social and national unity, with the Kanwar Yatra expecting 4.5 crore ‘jalabhishek’ rituals by August 11.
Standing on a specially erected platform, Adityanath, along with BJP leaders, showered rose petals on the passing Kanwariyas near the Dulhera police outpost in the Modipuram area.
Speaking to reporters later, Adityanath said, “The devotees of Lord Shiva walking hundreds of kilometres are an example of social and national unity. Rising above the barriers of caste and regional boundaries, their devotion displays immense enthusiasm.
“I believe that by Shivratri (August 11), nearly 4.5 crore devotees of Lord Shiva will perform ‘jalabhishek’ at the sacred Shiv temples along the Kanwar route from Ghaziabad to Haridwar.”
The chief minister said that not just in Meerut, there is also a massive crowd at the Shiv Chowk in Muzaffarnagar.
“Just now I had the opportunity to shower flower petals upon the Kanwariyas in Meerut, accompanied by the honorable public representatives of the city.
“From the Baba Augharnath temple here to the Baba Dudheshwar Nath temple in Ghaziabad, lakhs of devotees of Lord Shiva from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are participating in the Kanwar Yatra,” he said, adding that flower petals would be showered on the pilgrims over the next two days.
Those present on the occasion included Meerut MP Arun Govil, Rajya Sabha MP Laxmikant Vajpayee, state ministers Somendra Tomar and Dinesh Khatik, Meerut Mayor Harikant Ahluwalia, MLC Ashwini Tyagi, and former MLA Sangeet Som, among others, an official statement said.
A large number of Kanwariyas turned the major Kanwar routes in this region into a sea of saffron on Saturday, as the air reverberated with chants of ‘Bol Bam’ and ‘Har-Har Mahadev’, it said.
By showering flower petals on the devotees, the chief minister conveyed a message that the state government respects their faith, the statement said.
While many devotees were seen swaying to popular religious numbers, some were dressed as Kartik and Ganesh, expressing their devotion to the family of Lord Shiva.
Earlier, the chief minister’s aircraft landed at the Hindon airport; from there, he travelled to Meerut on a helicopter, conducting an aerial survey of the Kanwar Yatra route over Ghaziabad and Baghpat on the way.
Extensive security arrangements were made by the police and the administration for the chief minister’s programme, with additional forces deployed along the key Kanwar routes and in the vicinity of the event venue in Meerut.
Comprehensive arrangements were made along the key routes, including medical camps, rest areas, etc.
The Kanwar Yatra is at its peak in western Uttar Pradesh, with thousands of Shiva devotees carrying holy water from the Ganga in Haridwar to their destinations.
The annual Kanwar Yatra, which commenced on July 30 with the beginning of the holy month of Shravan, will culminate on August 11 with Shivratri.
