Varanasi: Ahead of the holy month of Shrawan, when lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the Kashi Vishwanath Temple for darshan, the Varanasi administration on Tuesday reviewed elaborate arrangements for crowd management, security, drinking water, medical aid, and other pilgrim facilities. Shrawan this year will be observed from July 30 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan falling on Aug 28.A high-level meeting on preparations for Shrawan 2026 was held at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, where divisional commissioner S Rajalingam and police commissioner Mohit Agrawal reviewed measures to ensure the safety, convenience, and smooth movement of devotees.Rajalingam directed officials to complete arrangements for drinking water, medical facilities, crowd management, the public address system, parking, sanitation, e-rickshaw services, CCTV surveillance, and electrical infrastructure well before the commencement of Shravan. He also instructed officials to safely raise hanging electric wires in the lanes surrounding the temple.To regulate crowd pressure, the temple administration will install additional barricade logs above and below the existing zig-zag railings. Industrial air coolers, chilled drinking water, ORS packets, and medical assistance will be made available for devotees waiting in queues.Locals will be allowed jhanki darshan daily from 4 am to 5 am and 4 pm to 5 pm, except on Shrawan Mondays and other major festival days.Devotees unable to visit the temple in person will be able to watch live darshan through the Mandir Nyas website, the temple’s official YouTube channel, and the Tata Sky platform.The administration has appealed to devotees not to join the queue on an empty stomach, as waiting time may be longer due to the expected rush. Pilgrims have also been advised to leave smartwatches, mobile phones, earphones, tobacco products, intoxicants, cosmetics, large bags, and other prohibited items at their homes or hotels before arriving at the temple.Officials said all concerned departments would work in close coordination throughout Shravan to ensure uninterrupted darshan, efficient crowd management, prompt emergency response, adequate water distribution, and smooth security checks.
