First Monday of Saawan: Rain no bar to faith

People from the city and neighbouring districts throng Shiva temples

Lakhs of devotees braved heavy rain to throng Shiva temples on the first Monday of ‘Saawan’ month. The worshippers included people from neighbouring districts too.

The Mankameshwar temple -one of the oldest in the state capital -- was the busiest, with devotees queuing outside since 3 am.

“We came at 3am to see the ‘Maha Aarti’ performed by the mahant,” said Prashant Chaturvedi, a devotee.

The crowd at the temple began to swell after 4am. “We are here early, anticipating the big rush expected on the first Monday,” said Sudha Mishra, a collegegoer who came with her parents.

Other old Lord Shiva temples, including the Buddheshwar on Hardoi road and the Koneshwar in Chowk, also witnessed heavy footfall on the day.

The district administration had made special security arrangements to facilitate the devotees and manage the crowds. These includes barricading, separate queues for men and women, and tight security measures.

There was a heavy deployment of cops at temples, especially those in sensitive areas. All proceedings were monitored through CCTV cameras.

“We made special arrangements to ensure that devotees were not inconvenienced. We also took measures to avoid any stampede-like situation,” said district magistrate, Kaushal Raj Sharma.

DEEPAK GUPTA AND MUQEED / HT PHOTOS The first Monday of ‘Saawan’ is considered auspicious for offering prayers to Lord Shiva. 1 Devotees making a beeline to Shiva temples in Lucknow on Monday morning. 2 Entering the temple premises. 3 A girl joins her hands in prayers. 4 ...