Deoghar: With the start of the world-famous Shravani fair at Baba Baidyanath Dham, a flood of devotees has begun. The entire Babanagari has become Shiva-filled with chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bol Bam.” Devotees are incredibly enthusiastic about the first Monday of Sawan. The district administration estimates that over two lakh devotees may arrive in Deoghar on August 3rd to perform the Jalabhishek of Baba Baidyanath. In view of this, special arrangements have been made for security, crowd management, and amenities.
The number of pilgrims has been increasing rapidly since the beginning of the Shravani Mela. According to reports, approximately 47,000 devotees began the Kanwar Yatra on the first day from Ajai Vi Nath in Bihar. This number increased to nearly 100,000 on the second day, while by the evening of the third day, more than 70,000 pilgrims had departed with Kanwars. Based on these figures, the administration estimates that approximately 150,000 pilgrims will reach Deoghar by Sunday evening. This number could exceed 200,000 by Monday afternoon, as a large number of pilgrims will also arrive by road and rail.
Special arrangements made to make Jalabhishek easier
Approximately 5 million devotees are expected to perform the Jalabhishek at this month-long fair. A special plan has been developed to handle such a large crowd in an orderly manner. For the first time since Jharkhand’s formation, the administrations of both states have jointly developed arrangements from Ajai Vi Nath to Babadham. Through a real-time reporting system, information on the number of pilgrims beginning their journey from the banks of the Ganga is being directly transmitted to the Integrated Control Room in Deoghar. This allows for accurate crowd assessment and timely necessary action.
Strict security and surveillance arrangements
To strengthen security at the Shravani Mela, approximately 10,000 police personnel, along with RAF, NDRF, and QRT personnel, have been deployed. The entire fair area will be continuously monitored by 1,035 CCTV cameras. Additionally, 225 AI-based cameras have been installed, which will immediately alert the control room if a crowd exceeds capacity at any holding point. Based on this, the administration will immediately take necessary steps to control the crowds, ensuring safe and smooth darshan for devotees.