A WAVE of devotion swept across the Narmada riverbanks in Sanskardhani on Wednesday as thousands of devotees gathered from early morning to mark the auspicious festival of Makar Sankranti. Despite winter chill, devotees took holy dips and participated in religious rituals. This year, Makar Sankranti is being observed over two days due to differences between calendar dates and lunar calculations. Those following the date based tradition celebrated the festival on Wednesday, while devotees observing it as per the lunar tithi will celebrate on Thursday.

 

However, in keeping with long standing tradition, the majority marked the festival on January 14, leading to heavy footfall at the Narmada ghats from dawn. Many devotees had arrived a night earlier and stayed along the riverbanks to begin the ritual bathing at sunrise. Alongside the ghats, temples and ashrams witnessed special prayers, Sun worship and religious ceremonies.

 

Offerings of khichdi, sweets, sesame and jaggery were made, while traditional rituals related to Kalpavas were also performed at several places. In view of the large turnout, the district administration, Jabalpur Municipal Corporation and Police made elaborate arrangements to ensure safety and smooth movement. Barricades and traffic diversions were placed on roads leading to the ghats. Home guards jawans were deployed, along with trained divers for emergency response.

 

Vehicular movement was allowed near the ghats during early hours and later restricted to avoid congestion. To ensure public safety, the district administration imposed a complete ban on boat operations at major ghats, including Gwarighat, Jilharighat, Tilwaraghat, Lamhetaghat, Bhedaghat and Saraswati Ghat on January 14 and 15. Only boats used by residents of riverside villages for essential transport have been exempted. The administration deployed Executive magistrates at all major ghats to maintain law and order.