Haridwar, May 23: Thousands of devotees gathered in Haridwar to take a holy dip and offer prayers on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima. The city witnessed a massive influx of worshippers at various Ganga ghats, including the Har ki Pauri.

In a post on X, Uttarakhand Police said, "Today, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima bathing festival, a huge crowd of devotees gathered at all the Ganga ghats including Haridwar Har ki Pauri. Our whole effort is to ensure that people bathe comfortably and in an orderly manner and then proceed to their destinations."

Karan Singh Nagnyal, IG, Garhwal Range, reviewed the arrangements at Har ki Pauri ghat on Wednesday in anticipation of the large number of devotees expected to bathe on Buddha Purnima.

"From 1 am onwards we will start our work, people who are sleeping at the Ghats will be wakened up and procedures for the bath will begin. Security forces have been deployed to manage the crowd. Heavy vehicles won't be allowed to come in during the daytime until the 'Arti' is over," Nagnyal said.

Neeraj Pathak, a devotee from Chhattisgarh, expressed the significance of the occasion

"Buddha Purnima is a very significant occasion. That is why my entire family and I have come here to bathe in the Ganges and to have a glimpse of Lord Shankar. It is a very sacred sight. My only prayer to God is that Mother Ganga relieves everyone of their sufferings. We are very excited to bathe in the Ganges, and we hope to come here every year in the same way, and that all the people of India will pay their respects to Mother Ganga, bathe, wash away their sins, and come to alleviate their sufferings. There is a huge crowd, I think there are more than hundreds of thousands of people here," Pathak said.

"There is no issue with the security arrangements; everyone is bathing happily, and no problems are visible. Our home is in Bihar, but we have come from Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh where we live," he added.

Similarly, in Varanasi, devotees took a holy dip and offered prayers at the Ganga River.

Ravi Prabha Singh, one of the devotees, shared, "We have all come together to bathe at the Sangam. People come here from very far away. Lord Ram came here and this is where Sita Mata went into the forest. Bathing here provides a lot of benefits."

Another devotee, Parvati, said, "Today we came to bathe in the Ganges. It was a very good day. Once a year, we get the benefit of this holy act. It brings happiness and peace to the family, so we have come to offer our respects at Mother Ganga's holy site."
In Prayagraj, devotees gathered at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, taking holy dips and offering prayers on this sacred day.

The Ayodhya Ram Mandir also saw a large number of worshippers on Buddha Purnima. The temple's inauguration on January 22 marked a significant milestone in India's cultural and religious heritage.

Buddha Purnima, celebrating the day of Lord Vishnu's incarnation on Earth, is being observed with great fervour and devotion across the country today.

(ANI)