Varanasi, 24 February: On the occasion of ‘Mahashivratri”, witnessing the continuous arrival of lakhs of devotees from Prayagraj Mahakumbh to Varanasi and the procession of Naga saints, the temple trust has decided to ban VIP protocol at Kashi Vishwanath temple. Therefore, protocol entry will be shut from February 25 to 27.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the temple, the crowd has jumped due to the continuous flow of lakhs of devotees in the temple since Mahakumbh. Due to ‘Mahashivratri’ festival falling during the period of Mahakumbh, Naga saints of various Akharas, Mahamandaleshwars are also reaching in large numbers along with devotees from different provinces of the country. In such a situation, in view of the offering of the prayers of the Naga saints, the temple gate number 4 to 5 will remain closed for the general public for 06 hours.
Temple administration told that in such a situation, the Shiv devotees queuing up for ‘darshan’ may have to wait for 16 to 18 hours. In the current environment of heat and humidity, excessive waiting period can create a serious situation for children, women, elderly etc. In view of this, all types of protocol entry will not be held for three days.
