Varanasi: There were endless queues as seven lakh devotees thronged Vindhyachal to offer prayers during Chaitra Navratri on Saturday, while huge crowds were seen on routes leading to the temple on Sunday too. The number of devotees who offered prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi remained above two lakhs, while massive congregation was witnessed at Ganga Aarti venues on Saturday.The Vindhyachal triangle of Vindhyachal, Kaali Khoh and Ashtabhuja temples is witnessing huge crowding since commencement of the Navratri fair. But on the third day, on Saturday, the roads leading to the Vindhya corridor remained flooded with devotees. Mirzapur administration on Saturday night confirmed a footfall of over seven lakh in 24 hours.Mirzapur SP Aparna Rajat Kaushik on Sunday said the Vindhyachal Navratri fair was already keeping the shrine area and Vindhya triangle heavily crowded for past four days and holiday on account of Eid on the weekend encouraged more people, especially locals and people from the surrounding areas, to visit. She said as all arrangements for crowd and traffic regulation were in place, no problem was faced in handling the huge crowd.In Varanasi too, there was a huge turnout of people to witness Ganga Aarti in the evening at Dashaswamedh and Sheetla (old Dashaswamedh) Ghats on Saturday. The trend of crowding sustained on Sunday. Earlier, as per tradition of offering prayers at Shringar Gauri on the fourth day of Chaitra Navratri, the Kashi Vishwanath temple trust and administration ensured all necessary arrangements.Among thousands of devotees who offered prayers at the site on the outer wall of the barricaded Gyanvapi mosque were common devotees and also groups including the one led by Gulshan Kapoor, who has been carrying out marches on this auspicious occasion to offer prayers since the isolation of the Gyanvapi mosque following the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. As per Varanasi district judge’s order, the Shringar Gauri point was opened in Dec 2024, and in Chaitra Navratri of 2025, devotees were allowed to offer prayers at Shringar Gauri.KV temple chief executive officer Vishwa Bhushan Mishra said all arrangements were made to ensure that devotees thronging the shrine area did not face any problem offering prayers at Shringar Gauri point. Other arrangements of Prasad distribution, Hanuman Chalisa recital , he added.
