Kailashanand ghat aarti draws crowds
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service
Haridwar, December 30
The Ganga Aarti at Swami Kailashanand Mission ghat at Laxman Jhula in Pauri Garhwal district has started drawing pilgrims, including foreigners, in large numbers nowadays. For centuries, Ganga Aarti at Har-ki-Pauri, the world famous sanctum sanctorum of Braham Kund, has been witnessing a massive footfall from across the globe, along with the ghats of Parmarth Niketan at Swargashram Yamkeshwar block and Triveni near Rishikesh.
The Swami Kailashanand Mission ghat is gaining popularity with a change in the infrastructure and the management. Local residents throng the place on a regular basis.
Started during Navratras in October, the Ganga Aarti at this ghat is organised on the lines of Har-ki-Pauri. Amid sound of conch shells, recitation of Vedic mantras and hymns on Ganga deity, the ambience here provides a unique spiritual feeling, say pilgrims.
The Ganga Aarti starts here at 5:30 pm with Ganga Lahari and Shati Path recitation, followed by traditional lighting performed by pundits and Sanskrit scholars in special attires.
As per Acharya Sanjay Kumar Shastri Silswal, the Ganga Aarti is done with rituals and rites as per the Vedic tradition.
Pundit Bhawani Dutt Gairola says with the Uttarakhand High Court appointing three persons as court observers, drastic changes in the management of the Swami Kailashanand Ashram have been witnessed. “Now Ganga Aarti and the refurbished multi-storey ashram are a major attraction. Spurt in the arrival of foreigners has been noticed in the past three months. Foreigners also take part in the Ganga Aarti with enthusiasm,” he says.
Court observers Prakash Chand Dimri, Rameshwar and Ajit Singhal say they renovated the Ganga Ghat and gave special attires to pundits and Sanskrit scholars who perform Ganga Aarti.This will add to the religious tourism in the state as Ganga is widely regarded as deity and worshiping it here is indeed a spiritual bliss, they add.
Besides, ashramites take up writing slogans on the premises, installation of hoardings, posters, stickers and also announcements to create awareness on the pollution in the Ganga river.
