Jhansi: Thousands of devotees, including men, women and children, took part in the annual kanwar yatra from Madhya Pradesh’s temple town Orchha to Jhansi on Thursday, carrying holy water on their shoulders and dancing to DJ music before concluding the procession at the historic Siddheshwar Temple.The procession, organised for the 11th consecutive year, passed through the heart of the city, where devotees were welcomed at Elite Crossing by Jhansi-Lalitpur MP Anurag Sharma, Babina MLA Rajiv Singh Paricha and several local BJP leaders and priests. They stood on a platform and showered flower petals on the kanwariyas as the procession passed through the crossing. A large number of women also participated in the yatra.The highlight of the procession was an aerial welcome, with rose petals being showered from an official helicopter as the kanwariyas made their way through the city. Divisional commissioner Bimal Kumar Dubey and IG Range Akash Kulhari were present during the aerial flower shower.Sanjiv Singhrishi, former BJP district president and president of the Bundelkhand Kanwar Yatra Samiti, said the annual procession has been organised continuously for the past 11 years.Babina MLA Rajiv Singh Paricha claimed that more than 25,000 people from Jhansi and adjoining areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh participated in this year’s yatra. “Today, Jhansi has become Kashi. Thousands of people have taken part in the yatra. More than 25,000 men, women and children from Jhansi and nearby regions of UP and MP have participated,” he said.The administration made elaborate security arrangements for the procession while monitering by drone cameras. A heavy police force was deployed along the route, while Jhansi district magistrate Gaurang Rathi and SSP BBGTS Murthy monitored the arrangements.Several traffic diversions were introduced to facilitate the movement of the procession, and entry of heavy vehicles into the city was restricted during the event. The arrangements were aimed at ensuring the smooth movement of devotees as well as minimising inconvenience to other commuters.With thousands of kanwariyas filling the streets, the procession turned several parts of the city into a vibrant spectacle of devotion, music and celebration before culminating at Siddheshwar Temple.
