Prayagraj: Amid chants of devotion, the Bade Hanuman temple at Sangam reopened for devotees on Saturday after floodwaters of the Ganga receded from the temple premises, nearly two weeks after the idol was submerged on Aug 30. Considered an auspicious day for worship, Saturday saw a large number of devotees queueing outside the temple for darshan.The floodwater receded from the temple premises on Friday, after which the temple management undertook extensive cleaning of the shrine and its surroundings on Saturday morning. The cleaning was done under the supervision of chief priest and head of Baghambari Gaddi Math, Balveer Giri.Before devotees were allowed inside, the idol of Bade Hanuman was given a special abhishekam on Saturday. Giri said the deity was bathed with different sacred items, including holy Ganga water, turmeric water, curd, one quintal of milk, honey and ‘ashtgandh’ (eight types of essence). This was followed by ceremonial puja with flowers and sweets.The deity was also decked up with flowers and ornaments before the temple was opened to devotees.Meanwhile, the Ganga continued to recede in Prayagraj. At 4 pm on Saturday, the water level at Phaphamau was 81.74 metres, while at Chhatnag it stood at 80.41 metres, below the previous reading. The Yamuna at Naini was at 80.84 metres.
