Deoghar sees massive turnout on opening Shravan Monday

DHANBAD: A sea of saffron-clad devotees thronged Deoghar on Monday to mark the first Monday of Shravan, offering prayers at the revered Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, with the district administration estimating that over 200,000 pilgrims would perform ‘jalabhishek’ at the shrine throughout the day.

- Praduman Choubey

Long queues of Kanwariyas (devotees carrying holy Ganga water) were seen winding through the city since late Sunday night, stretching past Nandan Pahad and even reaching Chamaridih Bridge. The temple gates opened at 4:12 a.m., and the ‘jal’ (holy water) offering began immediately after the traditional government prayer conducted at 3 a.m.

Officials said that given the overwhelming crowd, the district administration has implemented stringent security arrangements.