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News18
6 days ago
- General
- News18
When Is Nirjala Ekadashi At Khatu Shyam Temple? Check Mangal Aarti Timings
Last Updated: Lakhs of devotees are expected at Khatu Shyam Temple on Nirjala Ekadashi. With Mangala Aarti at 5am, the temple will stay open for darshan round the clock Crowds of devotees continue to gather at the renowned Baba Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan's Sikar district. Pilgrims from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Haryana, and various parts of the country, as well as from abroad, are arriving in large numbers. With Nirjala Ekadashi falling on June 6 (Friday) this year, a massive turnout is expected at the temple. To ensure a smooth and comfortable experience, the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee and the local administration have made extensive arrangements. Fans, coolers, and ample cold water facilities have been set up across the temple premises to help devotees cope with the summer heat. The temple committee and administrative authorities are holding regular meetings to coordinate crowd management and ensure orderly darshan on June 6. There are 24 Ekadashis in a year, two each month, and each is marked by a significant influx of devotees. Among these, Nirjala Ekadashi holds special spiritual significance. On this day, lakhs of devotees are expected to reach the temple. Starting with the Mangala Aarti at 5am, the temple will remain open for darshan throughout the day and night. Facilities For Devotees Chairman of the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee, Manvendra Singh Chauhan, said that special measures have been taken to protect devotees from the heat. Carpets have been laid on walking paths for those arriving barefoot. Cold water is being sprayed along village roads from tankers, and free water pouches are being distributed throughout the temple complex. In anticipation of the large crowd on Nirjala Ekadashi, security arrangements have also been bolstered. In addition to temple guards, local police, the Reserve Police Line, and the RAC will be deployed to ensure safety and crowd control. Dedicated Arrangements For Disabled Devotees Special arrangements have been made for disabled visitors. To help them access darshan comfortably, additional wheelchairs have been provided. Volunteers from the temple committee will assist disabled devotees through a dedicated ' Divyang ' line that bypasses the general queue. Furthermore, extra traffic police will be deployed to manage vehicular flow in and around Khatu town. First Published: June 06, 2025, 09:46 IST
Hans India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
PM Modi offers prayers at Rajasthan's Karni Mata Temple
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid a visit to the famous Karni Mata Temple in Deshnok, Rajasthan's Bikaner district, offering prayers at one of the most unique and revered temples in the country. Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Temple authorities welcomed him with a replica of the Karni Mata Temple, and he also offered 'prasad' and a donation at the sanctum. Located about 30 kilometres south of Bikaner, the Karni Mata Temple is dedicated to Goddess Karni Mata, believed to be an incarnation of Maa Jagdamba. Devotees say that around 650 years ago, the Goddess meditated and lived in a cave at this site, which still exists within the temple premises. After her passing, her idol was installed in the cave according to her wishes. What sets the temple apart is its sacred population of black rats, known locally as "kabbas". With an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 rats roaming freely inside the marble-constructed shrine, the temple is famously known as the "Temple of Rats". Devotees believe the rats are holy and bring good fortune. Notably, a sighting of a white rat among them is considered extremely auspicious. To protect the rats from predators like eagles and vultures, the temple has a fine mesh installed over open areas. Despite the overwhelming presence of rats, they do not harm visitors and are often seen climbing on people or scurrying around their feet, a sight devotees witness reverently. The temple, recently redeveloped, is admired for its intricate marble carvings, silver doors, golden umbrellas, and a large silver plate specifically designed for feeding the rats. Karni Mata is also revered for her blessings in the establishment of the Bikaner and Jodhpur states. Pilgrims throng the temple daily, especially during the early morning Mangala Aarti at 5 a.m. and the evening Aarti at 7 p.m., when the rats are seen actively moving in large numbers -- a spectacle many consider spiritually significant. This is his first visit to Rajasthan following India's attack on terror launch pads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7. During the visit, PM Modi will inaugurate 103 Amrit Stations nationwide, including the newly developed Deshnok Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Yojana. He will also address a large public meeting in Palana village near Bikaner. His total stay in Bikaner is scheduled for 3 hours and 25 minutes. This visit is reminiscent of his public address in Churu, delivered on the morning of the airstrikes following the Pulwama attack. Following the temple visit, he will inaugurate the Deshnok Railway Station and flag off the Bikaner-Mumbai Express train. During the event, PM Modi will inaugurate 103 Amrit Stations nationwide and lay the foundation stone for various development projects worth Rs 26,000 crore. These projects include 1,000 km of electrified railway tracks, seven major road projects, three vehicle underpasses, a PowerGrid transmission project and 900 km of national highways in Rajasthan. After the public meeting, the Prime Minister will return to Nal Airport by helicopter around 12.30 p.m. and depart for Delhi at around 1.15 p.m.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Crowded temples, bustling mkts mark Akshay Tritiya in Varanasi
Varanasi: The holy city of Varanasi witnessed grand celebrations Akshay Tritiya on Wednesday, with rituals marking the beginning of the day at Kashi Vishwanath Dham . Devotees thronged the temple from the early hours to participate in the sacred rituals. The day began with Mangala Aarti and the ceremonial Jalabhishek of Lord Vishwanath with water from Chakrapushkarni (Manikarnika) Kund, carried in 11 urns. As part of the tradition, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust installed a special 'Kunwara' (shower) above the Shivling for continuous Jalabhishek, symbolising coolness, purity, and devotion. This practice, which begins on Akshay Tritiya, will continue till the holy month of Shravan. Priests and temple authorities explained the significance of the day, stating that Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakh, when both the sun and moon are in their exalted positions—a rare astrological alignment believed to bring eternal prosperity. The word 'Akshay' itself means 'which does not diminish'. Besides, the idol of Lord Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan was adorned in an elaborate and divine manner, attracting large numbers of devotees throughout the day. Other prominent temples across the city, as well as the Vindhyachal Temple in Mirzapur, also saw a significant influx of pilgrims, all seeking divine blessings on the auspicious day. Meanwhile, markets in the city were bustling, particularly jewellery shops, as buying gold on Akshaya Tritiya is considered highly auspicious. Shopkeepers reported brisk business, with buyers crowding stores throughout the day.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Temples: Crowds, chaos and clamour
Where will devotees find peace, if not in temples. In recent years, a religious resurgence has meant that more people are visiting prominent temples in their quest for spiritual solace. Concomitantly, the economies of many temples, especially the major ones, have grown. According to media reports, a survey by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), India's temple economy is estimated at ₹3.02 lakh crores, which is about 2.32% of the country's GDP. As faith brings in funds, temples are also expanding with many adding facilities for the devotees. What has remained unchanged, however, is the lack of scientific crowd management in most temples. The overstressed and untrained volunteers push and yell at common devotees, often ruining their spiritual experience at a sacred place. Many books on Hinduism have laid down etiquettes and customs for the devotees, which even include quiet recitation of mantras, slokas or chanting the name of deities in silence. But are there no such guidelines for volunteers, who yell and humiliate devotees even inside the sanctum sanctorum of sacred places like in Shirdi in Maharashtra. The pious come in droves from across the country to the temple but much of their time goes in pushing their way through the narrow enclosures, with the loud and angry commands of the volunteers adding to the confusion and chaos rather than regulating the crowds. Here is an example of the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which has undergone a drastic change in its look and space. In early 2000, a group of devotees from south India hurriedly walked through the sleepy and serpentine by-lanes of Varanasi to reach the temple entrance before 2 am for Mangala Aarti at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. In all, there were about three dozen devotees. About a hundred cops manned the tiny crowd. Their loud voices pierced the stillness of dawn. The group did not understand Hindi and the cops were hardly accommodative. Cut to 2023. The Shiva temple had acquired a new grandeur and the Mangala Aarti in the beautiful ambience was blissful. However, the temple authorities had issued more tokens this time as they had enough open space. But, as soon as the aarti ended, the devotees pushed and jostled to enter the sanctum sanctorum from all the four doors, each trying to touch the Shivalinga. There was no volunteer to handle the crowds in the small place. Despite a long history of stampedes in temples in Nashik, Tirupati, Vrindavan, Vaishno Devi and Naina Devi, volunteers continue to recklessly push frenzied devotees through the narrow enclosures and streets, unmindful of the numbers they can accommodate. The plight of the common man is the same across temples in the North and the South – from Shirdi to Tirupati, from Kashi to Mathura. The devotees are ruthlessly pushed like herd of sheep in the melee; their prayers lost in the din created by the unmindful shouts of volunteers who forget they are in the temple precincts and not on the streets where they are managing a brawl. Fact is VIPs are few, the majority of the people come from diverse social ,linguistic cultures and economic backgrounds. They don't have money but their faith is in abundance. The good thing is that there's an effort to change the situation. The first-ever course on temple management in the country, starting from this academic year at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University (SSU), Varanasi, will cover crowd management as a major subject. About 1500 aspirants have already registered for the one-year-course, which will cover temple management, right from its architecture, to construction, to the size and the installation of the idols as laid down in the scriptures. Bihari Lal Sharma, SSU vice chancellor, said the course will broadly cover the construction, operation, maintenance, cleanliness and administration of the temples. The students will be taught religious rituals, crowd management and financial management by combining the traditional knowledge with modern techniques.
