Divine fervour shows no sign of decline as devotees throng Kangra temples

Despite official conclusion of the Shravan Navratris on Saturday, the divine fervour shows no signs of decline in Kangra district. On Sunday, taking advantage of the clear sky, thousands of devotees, mostly locals, thronged the region’s prominent Shakti Peethas — Shree Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham and Brajeshwari Devi Temple in Kangra and the ever-flaming Jwala Ji Temple.

Unlike the Ashwin Navratris celebrated in October — when large number of devotees dressed in bright yellows arrive from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Delhi — the Shravan Navratris are dominated by pilgrims from Punjab and Haryana, particularly younger groups riding in bike convoys.

Traditionally, devotees from the Malwa region like Patiala, prefer Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur, while those from the Doaba belt around Jalandhar flock to Mata Chintpurni in Una, but over the years, they have now started arriving at Kangra Shakti Peethas as well during Shravan. Local businesses saw a boost as prasad shops, dhabas and road side vendors benefitted by this surge of pilgrims.

Shree Chamunda Devi Temple

This year, in spite of incessant rains, over 50,000 devotees from Punjab visited the temple adorned by flowers and illuminated all around by colourful lights. A total of 26 free langars (community kitchens) were organised mostly by devotees from Tarn Taran district in Punjab. According to Rakesh Chaudhary, the temple officer here, departments of Jalshakti, electricity and the police actively supported the event. Unlike previous years, no casualty was reported here.

Brajeshwari Devi Temple

Between July 26 and August 2, around 60,000 devotees offered a sum of Rs 18 lakh at the temple. Devotees from Jandiala, Faridkot, Amritsar and Sri Ganganagar organised five langars. Neelam Rana, the temple officer posted here, retired on July 31. Rana received an appreciation letter form the SDM for her dedicated services without a break.

Jwala Ji Temple

During the Shravan Ashtami Melas, devotees offered Rs 43.89 lakh at the Goddess Maa Jwala Ji Temple. Around 1.90 lakh devotees sought blessings of the divine flame. According to Manohar, the temple officer, 120 police personnel, Home Guards and 70 CCTV cameras were deployed at the temple for surveillance. More than 150 Safai Karamcharis and Sewadars cleaned paths and the temple premises.