Shatrughn Prasad
Deoghar
Thousands of Kanwariyas and Shiva devotees thronged the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar on Wednesday, the 28th day of the Rajkiya Shravani Mela 2026, to offer holy Ganga water to Lord Shiva.
In view of the heavy rush and long queues of pilgrims, the temple doors were opened early at 4:43 am, following which jalabhishek of the Baba Baidyanath Jyotirlinga began smoothly. The early opening was aimed at facilitating the movement of devotees and reducing waiting time amid the large turnout.
The temple complex and surrounding Mela area reverberated with chants of “Bol Bam” and “Har Har Mahadev” from the early hours. Kanwariyas carrying sacred Ganga water from Sultanganj reached Deoghar after undertaking the traditional pilgrimage on foot and joined the queues for offering water at the shrine.
Long queues of devotees were witnessed around the temple as pilgrims waited patiently for their turn to enter the shrine. Many Kanwariyas had travelled considerable distances on foot as part of the traditional Kanwar Yatra.
The district administration and police maintained heightened vigil to ensure the safety and convenience of pilgrims. Senior officials remained present from the early morning and monitored crowd movement, route arrangements and the situation inside and around the temple complex.
Security personnel were deployed at key locations, while officials closely monitored the movement of Kanwariyas to ensure an orderly flow of devotees and prevent congestion.
Essential facilities, including drinking water and health services, were also made available at various points along the pilgrim route. Field-level personnel remained deployed to attend to the needs of devotees and manage the arrangements.
