Varanasi, November 15 (IANS). On the auspicious occasion of Dev Diwali, the continuous string of lamps on the ghats of Kashi attracted the whole world. As soon as Lord Sun set in the horizon, Kashi, the city of Baba Vishweshwar, the Lord of the entire world, was bathed in the light of lamps.
The series of lamps on the banks of Uttarvahini Ganga presented a unique supernatural scene. The first lamp of Dev Diwali was lit at Namo Ghat by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. During this time, grand fireworks also took place at Namo Ghat.
After this, the Vice President, Governor and Chief Minister and other guests boarded the cruise and witnessed the Maha Aarti of Mother Ganga. While boating, the tourists also jumped with joy and welcomed them with slogans of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’. All the dignitaries aboard the cruise, including the Vice President and the Chief Minister, accepted the greetings of the tourists by waving and joining hands.
At the same time, the grand scene of 3D projection mapping, laser show and fireworks on the sand across the Ganges at Chet Singh Ghat mesmerized the attendees. A grand Maha Aarti was seen at all the ghats with the sound of conch shells, bells and gongs welcoming the gods to the land of Kashi.
This time Dev Diwali in Kashi was full of amazing sights. The lighting of millions of lamps on the ghats of Ganga presented a unique confluence of faith and devotion. Pandey Ghat became the center of special attraction, where Chief Minister Yogi’s famous slogan ‘Bantoge to Katoge’ was engraved with 51 thousand lamps. These lamps lit at Pandey Ghat attracted people’s attention and became a topic of discussion. People praised the message of the Chief Minister through this art. At the same time, the devotees gathered at the ghats captured this amazing scene on cameras and shared their experiences.
Along with religion, the message of nationalism was also given in the Maha Aarti organized at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Tributes were paid to the brave soldiers on the replica of Amar Jawan Jyoti. This year Maha Aarti was dedicated to the martyrs of Kargil war and the brave warriors were honored under ‘Bhagirath Shaurya Samman’.
On this occasion, 21 Archakas and 42 Dev girls performed Maha Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat in the form of Riddhi-Siddhi. Maha Aarti of Dev Diwali of Dashashwamedh Ghat was telecast live on LED screens installed at six major places of the city.
This time a 3D projection mapping show was organized for the tourists at Chet Singh Ghat of Kashi, in which the religious history of Kashi and the story of the descent of Ganga was presented. The green crackers show on the sand across the Ganga in front of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham won the hearts of the people. The ghats and temples were decorated with attractive electrical decorations and spiral frills painted in the colors of the tricolor.
This year, 17 lakh lamps were lit on Dev Diwali, out of which 12 lakh lamps were given by the Yogi government. Three lakh lamps were made from cow dung. Due to public participation in the unbroken chain of lamps, a total of more than 21 lakh lamps welcomed the deities. Along with the ghats, ponds, ponds and temples of Kashi, the continuous chain of lamps across the Ganga spread a galaxy-like atmosphere. Lakhs of lamps were also lit on the banks of Ganga-Gomti river, Markandeya Mahadev and Varuna river. On Dev Diwali, all the temples of Kashi, facade lights on the ghats and electric poles on the roads were also decorated with attractive spiral fringes.
On the occasion of Dev Diwali, special prayers were performed at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Dham premises were decorated with flowers. The light of lamps in Baba’s courtyard made this place even more divine.
Varanasi was declared a ‘no fly zone’ on the occasion of Dev Diwali. From security point of view, strict surveillance was kept on the ghats. There was a ban on flying drones and plainclothes women police and anti-Romeo squads were deployed. Lanes were determined based on the directions for boat operation in the Ganga, and strict safety instructions were given to the sailors. NDRF and water police were deployed with water ambulances and medical equipment. A blueprint for complete preparations had already been prepared regarding security on ghats, river and road, traffic system, parking, emergency management, QRT team, entry and exit.
Dev Diwali, celebrated on Friday in Varanasi, continued trending on social media platform X. Users shared their experiences through the hashtag DevDiwali2024, due to which the festival was successful in attracting the attention of the entire world. Under Modi-Yogi government, Dev Diwali of Kashi has now become global from local. More than 17 lakh lamps were lit at 84 ghats of Varanasi and grand fireworks lit up the night sky, which was widely shared by people on social media.
–IANS
ABM/AKJ
