Lucknow | Devotees thronged prominent Shiva temples across Uttar Pradesh on the third Monday of the holy month of Sawan, coinciding with Nag Panchami, with Ayodhya and Varanasi witnessing large crowds despite heavy rain.
The coincidence of Sawan Monday and Nag Panchami is considered particularly auspicious by Hindu devotees.
Sawan, traditionally associated with Lord Shiva, is marked by special worship of the deity, with devotees observing fasts on Mondays, offering water and milk to Shiva lingams and undertaking pilgrimages to temples.
Nag Panchami, observed on the fifth day of the 'Shukl Paksh' (bright fortnight) of Sawan, is dedicated to the worship of serpent deities, who are sacred to Lord Shiva.
The festival is traditionally observed to seek protection, prosperity and the well-being of families.
In Varanasi, a large number of devotees gathered at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple from the early hours for darshan. Temple authorities welcomed devotees by showering rose petals after the Mangala Aarti.
Devotees had started queuing up in barricaded areas outside the temple since the night, while the temple administration made elaborate arrangements in view of the rush.
Kanwariyas carrying pots filled with Ganga water were seen chanting “Bol Bam” as they proceeded towards the Kashi Vishwanath Dham to perform jalabhishek of the deity.
In Ayodhya, devotees began arriving at the Saryu riverbank from the early hours despite heavy rain. They took a holy dip in the river before proceeding to the ancient Nageshwarnath Temple to offer water and prayers.
The temple and the surrounding area echoed with chants of "Har Har Mahadev" and "Bam Bam Bhole" as devotees, many of them drenched in rain, queued up for jalabhishek.
Long queues were witnessed at the Nageshwarnath Temple, and devotees were being allowed entry in phases, according to officials.
"After Nageshwarnath, the flow of devotees turned towards Hanumangarhi and the Ram Mandir," said Mithilesh Nandini Sharan, a member of the religious committee of the Ram temple trust.
Devotees from neighbouring districts, including Gonda, Bahraich, Basti and Sultanpur, as well as people from various parts of the country, reached Ayodhya for the festival.
"In view of the heavy footfall, security arrangements were strengthened along the Saryu bank and at temples and other key locations. Barricading, CCTV surveillance and drone monitoring were put in place, while personnel from the police, water police, SDRF and PAC were deployed," Ayodhya SP City Chakrapani Tripathi said.
The administration also made arrangements to regulate traffic, including restrictions on the entry of four-wheelers into Ayodhya, barricades on major routes, and traffic diversion, officials said.
The festive fervour was also witnessed in several other districts, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Agra and Jhansi, where devotees visited prominent Shiva temples and offered prayers, with police also stepping up security and vigilance across the state.
In Prayagraj, heightened security arrangements were made at the ghats and prominent Shiva temples in view of the expected influx of devotees.
The city's Takshakeshwar Nath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and associated with the serpent deity Takshak, is among the prominent religious sites linked to the festival. The temple is located on the bank of the Yamuna in the Dariyabad locality.