Mahashivaratri in Kashi has special significance because of the presence of Kashi Vishwanath drawing devotees in massive numbers. However, this year, it turned out to be even more special as it coincided with the return flow of Mahakumbh devotees, Naga Sadhus, seers, saints and Akharas besides the natives of Varanasi leading to an unprecedented surge in crowd. With Tuesday’s late evening decision of taking out traditional Shiv Barat on Mahashivratri evening, the grand wedding procession of the presiding deity came on the road on Wednesday evening adding colour to celebrations. To manage the enormous crowd, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust and district administration had adopted strict security measures. The entire temple complex was kept under high surveillance with police, paramilitary forces, ATS commandos, and STF units deployed across the corridor to maintain order. Senior officials continued to assess the situation on the ground to ensure devotees’ safety and comfort.The procession of Naga Sadhus was greeted with garlands and showering them with petals by senior officials, including Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal, and DM S Rajalingam, personally at Gate No. 4 of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. To ensure a smooth darshan experience for every devotee, VIP protocols were suspended, giving equal access to all. The temple doors were opened in the wee hours at 2:15 am on Wednesday after Mangala Aarti of Baba Vishwanath who was decked up like a divine groom. Meanwhile, the ghats along the river Ganga came alive since midnight with thousands of devotees flocking to them to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. The district administration showered the devotees not only on the ghats but to Kashi Vishwanath Corridor premises with rose petals amid the chants ‘Har Har Mahadev’ leaving the devotees dancing in divine gaiety.
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