Shatrughn Prasad
Deoghar
The second Monday (Somwari) and 12th day of the Rajkiya Shravani Mela 2026 witnessed a massive turnout of devotees at Baba Nagri Deoghar. Jalabhishek began early in the morning at 4:12 AM. A total of 3,69,449 devotees offered water to Lord Baidyanath, of which 2,41,863 used the external argha and 1,27,586 the internal argha.
Given the huge influx of pilgrims, the administration remained on high alert. Separation from groups in such large crowds is common. One such incident involved an elderly devotee from Bhutan, Lal Bahadur Khale, who got separated from his family members.
The biggest challenge was that Khale did not carry a mobile phone, making contact with him nearly impossible. While he was wandering in the crowded mela area, personnel on duty spotted him and immediately took him to the nearest Information and Assistance Centre. Continuous announcements of his name were made from the centre, and his photograph was also displayed across centres. With the help of these announcements and photo broadcasts, assistance centre staff quickly located him. Hearing and seeing the broadcasts, his worried family members rushed to the centre.
Khale’s relatives praised the government and district administration for the prompt and humane assistance. They said that even without a phone, the administration’s use of technology and alertness in reuniting their family members in such a large crowd has left them forever grateful.
