Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and foreign guests inaugurated the splendid Dev Deepawali celebration by lighting diyas at Namo Ghat on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima on Monday evening.
The CM Yogi Adityanath welcomed the ambassadors of 70 countries, 150 foreign delegates and their family members at Namo Ghat from there they embarked on a cruise to watch the grand celebration. Thereafter, the CM reached Manikarnika Ghat where he attended a programme at Satua Baba Ashram. The CM also worshiped at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir.
Earlier, on reaching the airport in Babatpur, the CM was welcomed by the UP Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh, MP BP Saroj, Zila Panchayat Chairperson Poonam Maurya, MLAs Saurabh Srivastava & Sushil Singh, Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma and DM S Rajalingam. From the airport, the CM reached Namo Ghat.
It was a rare scene when the stretch of 85 Ganga ghats spread several kilometres in semi-circle shape were glittered with 12 lakh diyas (earthen lamps), while Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham decorated with 11 ton flowers. The ghats were adorned with attractive tricolour spiral facade and LED lighting arrangements adding to the grandeur of Dev Deepawali celebration.
For the ambassadors of 70 countries, 150 foreign delegates and their family members riding on a cruise, it was an unforgettable moment to watch Ganga Ghats glittered with diyas, 12 lakh in quantity including one lakh which were made from cow dung conveying the message of nature preservation, laser show at Gang Dwar of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, fireworks in the stretch of one km on the sand across Ganga and Maha Ganga Aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat, ancient Dashashwamedh Ghat and other Ghats performed by as many as 21 Vedic scholars and as many as 42 girls in the form of Riddhi-Siddhi. The Maha Aarti events were performed under the auspices of Ganga Seva Nidhi, Gangotri Seva Samiti and Kendriya Dev Deepawali Mahasamiti. The 3D laser mapping show also continued highlighting the rich heritage of this mythological city of Lord Shiva at Chet Singh Ghat for the fourth consecutive year.
Despite all restrictions on the arrival of outside boats from adjoining districts of Mirzapur, Chandauli and Ghazipur, there were traffic jams like situation in the river as thousands of people watched the grandeur of the festival either from mid-stream or from across the river.
With the festival, the month-long event of lighting Akashdeeps in the memory of martyred soldiers and police personnel also concluded. At Dashashwamedh Ghat, senior officers of Army, Air Force, CRPF, NDRF and others were present.
At the mythological Panchganga ghat, Hazara was lit as per the tradition. It was the ghat where the festival was being organised for a long, more than a century, whereas at other parts of the ghats as well as ponds, it got a grandeur shape in recent two-three decades. On the occasion, the people also lit diyas at their homes.
By the time when the diyas started being lit, there was not an inch of space left at any of the important ghats as they were packed with the people. The tricolour spiral facade and LED lighting on all the poles installed on the ghats apart from main crossings at Atulanand, Kutchery, Ambedkar Park, Teliabagh, Lahurabir, Maldahiya, Maidagin. Godowlia and others made this City of Lord Shiva shining like the stars in the sky.
On the occasion, elaborate security arrangements were made at ghats to avoid any untoward incident and the festival was watched through CCTV cameras.
The Water Police personnel were keeping watch at different ghats, while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel remained alert to keep watch on the ghats through patrolling in motor boats.
To see the grandeur of the festival, a large number of tourists as well as celebrities came here and most of the hotels were booked fully.