UP: Kanwariyas showered with flower petals from helicopter

Prayagraj (UP): Flower petals were showered from a helicopter on kanwariyas in the Uttar Pradesh capital on the fourth Monday of the auspicious month of Sawan, an official statement issued here said.

The state government has showered flowers on the devotees of Lord Shiva earlier also, besides making arrangements for their convenience and security, the statement said. The petals were showered at Sangam along the banks of Ganga and all the routes through which the kanwariyas passed across districts, it said.

District Magistrate Prayagraj Sanjay Kumar Khatri said flower petals were showered in four phases upon the queues of Shiva devotees carrying holy water from Adi Shivalaya Shree Brahmeshwar Mahadev Temple, Shree Mankameshwar Temple and Sangam ghats to Varanasi.

The atmosphere was filled with the joyous chants of Bol-Bam, echoing across the Sangam and the banks of ganga, the government said in its statement.

This tradition has also been observed in various cities, including Kashi, Meerut, Saharanpur, Barabanki and Ayodhya, it said.

According to Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma, continuous patrolling is going on in all the routes and ghats used by the Shiva devotees and that drones have also been deployed in sensitive areas.

To enhance safety, signages have been installed at blind turns along Kanwar Yatra routes, the statement said. No egg-meat-fish shops are open on the devotees' route, as per specific orders issued to the concerned police station personnel, it said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been overseeing the event and has personally showered flower petals on kanwariyas on the Meerut-Delhi highway on the second Monday of Sawan, it added.