Yogi to double up as priest till Dussehra
BJP leader will stay at Gorakhnath Temple amid tight security and lead decadesold festival procession this year also
GORAKHPUR/LUCKNOW: For five days starting Tu es day, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be in the role of the head priest of Gorakhnath Temple in view of Navratra and Dussehra celebrations.
Continuing the decades-old tradition, Yogi will leada‘shob hayatra’ from the temple in Go rakhpur on Dussehra. The procession will pass through the busy areas of the city and culminate at Mansarovar Ram leela ground, temple sources confirmed.
The chief minister, who reached Go rakh puron Tuesday, will stay at the temple for five days during which he will perform special pujas daily till the ninth of Navratra.
In view of Yogi’s visit, the state police have made elaborate security arrangements in the city.
IG Hari Ram Sharma said a statewide alert had been sounded in view of Dussehra and Muharram. “Since Gorakpur region is sensitive, Provincial Armed Constabulary( PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, along with the civil police, have been deployed in the area.
The chief minister will be provided security as per the protocol,” Sharma said.
SSP, Gorakhpur, Satyarth Aniruddh a Pankaj said adequate force would be deployed on the procession route.
On Tuesday evening, the chief minister w or shipped MaaK at yayni, the sixth manifestation of goddess Durga.
On the eighth day of N av rat ra, chief minister Yogi will do ‘shastra pujan’ (worship of weapons) and after performing ‘havan’ on the ninth day, he will hold a feast for children. “Successive priests of Gorakhnath Temple have followed this tradition and led sh ob hay a tr as. Yogi has also been leading this procession since he was anointed as the chief priest in 2014 after the demise of mahant Avai dyana th ,” said temple’ s public relation’ s officer( PRO) Vinay Gautam. He said since Yogi had been elevated to the post of chief minister, the crowd in the pro cession was likely to swell this year.
“More than 5,000 people are likely to join they at ra, which will be taken out from the temple to the Ramleela ground,” he said.
He said the Vijay Dashmi procession would be followed by ‘kan ya pu jan ’. Vi jay Dash mi celebrations will begin with prayers between 3 am and 8 pm. Disciples of Nath sect will seeks blessings from Ma han tA di ty ana th a midst chanting of holy mantras and blowing of conch shells (‘shankh’).