Barabanki (UP), Jul 22 (PTI) The district administration on Tuesday showered flower petals from a helicopter over hundreds of Kanwariyas who gathered at the ancient Mahadeva Shiva temple in Ramnagar tehsil here.

District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya supervised the aerial shower as part of the ongoing Shravan month festivities.

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The gesture was aimed at honouring the religious fervour of devotees who walk barefoot in large numbers to the Mahabharata-era temple to perform 'jalabhishek' (water offering) and other rituals, officials said.

Chief priest of the temple, Virendra Kumar Awasthi, lauded the initiative, calling it a heartfelt tribute to the unwavering faith of the devotees.

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"Every year, lakhs of pilgrims arrive chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev', carrying water, belpatra (sacred leaves), and other offerings for Lord Shiva," he said.

Tight security arrangements were made for the event to ensure the safety of the crowd on Tuesday, officials said.

The Mahadeva temple, steeped in mythological and cultural significance, becomes a major pilgrim site during Shravan or Sawan, drawing devotees from across the region for its spiritual energy and sacred rituals.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)