Gaya: Pilgrims thronged the Vishnupad Temple, the adjoining ghats of the Falgu river, Pretshila and Ramshila on Sunday, the second day of the fortnight-long Pitripaksh Mela, to perform ‘pind daan’ rituals for the peace of their departed ancestors.Ramshila and Pretshila, two of the most important ritual sites, witnessed a steady flow of pilgrims from early morning. Many performed pind daan and other rites associated with ancestors who died unnatural or accidental deaths.With the number of devotees swelling, district magistrate Shashank Shubhankar spent nearly three hours inspecting arrangements in and around the Vishnupad area. He reviewed crowd management, queue systems, cleanliness, movement of pilgrims and deployment of volunteers at key locations. The DM also interacted with devotees and joined officials and volunteers in maintaining orderly queues.Officials directed personnel on duty to ensure that crowds remained regulated and that pilgrims could reach the temple and ghats safely through designated routes.NCC and Scouts and Guides volunteers were deployed at strategic points to guide devotees and manage queues. Local youths and volunteers were also seen assisting elderly and physically challenged pilgrims on wheelchairs, helping them reach the temple and ritual sites.According to footfall data generated through electronic counting machines, 65,200 devotees had arrived in Gaya till Saturday.Meanwhile, the district administration, in collaboration with the environment, forest and climate change department, launched the ‘Pitrivatika–EkPedPurvajonKeNaam’ campaign during the mela.Divisional forest officer Shashikant Kumar said, “TheinitiativeseekstolinkremembranceofancestorswithenvironmentalconservationandpromotegreeneryaspartofthespiritualandculturalsignificanceofPitripaksh.”Explaining the campaign, he added, “Thedepartmentwillmakesaplingsofindigenousspeciesavailabletopilgrims.Asthesaplingsgrowintotrees,theywillprovideshadeandhelpincreasethegreencoverinthearea.”Officials said the initiative aims to encourage pilgrims to honour their ancestors while contributing to environmental conservation, blending tradition with sustainability.
