Two-day Yamunotsav begins in Delhi

Devotees lit lamps at Vasudev Ghat on Sunday evening to mark the beginning of the two-day “Yamunotsav 2025”, a celebration dedicated to the spiritual and cultural significance of the Yamuna River.

The festival opened with a jalabhishek (water offering) performed with holy water brought from Yamunotri, followed by a Yamuna Katha and an evening aarti.

Organised by the Delhi Government’s Department of Culture in association with the Yamuna Sansad, the festival will continue on November 3 at the Vasudev Ghat. Talking about the celebrations, Culture Minister Kapil Mishra, on Friday, said the event aimed to deepen the cultural and emotional connection between Delhi and the Yamuna, describing the river as central to the city’s identity.

“Our goal is to keep this river pure and vibrant,” Mishra said, adding that Yamunotsav builds on the renewed spiritual engagement witnessed during the recent Chhath Puja, when devotees performed rituals on the Yamuna’s banks after a gap of five years.

Calling the celebration grand and divine, Mishra highlighted that the Yamuna was vital for Delhi not only ecologically but also culturally. He said maintaining the river’s cleanliness and sanctity remained a key government priority.

In a post on X, shared on Sunday, the minister said that experts, saints, and devotees from across the country were gathering at the ghat for dialogues on river conservation. “Our government is bringing people closer to Maa Yamuna,” he wrote, pledging continued efforts for such positive initiatives.