The religious city of Govardhan is currently witnessing a massive influx of devotees performing the Parikrama of Giriraj Maharaj. Amid the surge of faith, the entire Parikrama route and major roads leading to the city are packed with devotees.
Over a million devotees arrived here in the last 24 hours to perform the Parikrama. Some of them had to travel on bus roofs to reach Govardhan.
The devotees are circumambulating the 84 Kos of Braj, Giriraj Ji, and Vrindavan. On the evening before the full moon of the Purushottam month, Govardhan was so devastated that there was no place to stand. The entire 21-kilometer Parikrama route resounded with chants praising Lord Govardhan Nath. Devotees thronged the entire route.
The devotees from across the country and abroad are arriving in Govardhan to perform the Parikrama of Lord Giriraj Ji during the Adhik Maas. The rush for darshan is not only on the Parikrama route but also at the temples. Large numbers of devotees are arriving at the prominent Danghati Temple, Mukut Mukharbind Mansi Ganga, Jatipura, and other temples. Devotees are offering milk and water to Lord Govardhan Nath and praying.
While faith is surging during the Parikrama, the biggest problem is the uncontrolled e-rickshaws running along the Parikrama route. Pilgrims say that the terror of e-rickshaws has increased so much that even walking peacefully on the Parikrama route is becoming life-threatening. These e-rickshaws, driven at high speed and recklessly on narrow roads, are causing daily injuries to devotees. Furthermore, the entry of VIP and local four-wheelers has added insult to injury, causing hours-long traffic jams at various locations.
Devotees traveling from Mathura to Govardhan Parikrama are facing a risky journey. Passengers are traveling on the roofs of buses. Although traffic police personnel deployed at various locations are removing passengers from the rooftops, some enthusiastic devotees are riding on the roofs of buses as soon as they can avoid the attention of traffic police.
Devotees performing the Parikrama are bearing the brunt of vehicles entering the Parikrama route.
On Saturday, a drunken man hit a woman performing the Dandavati Parikrama, while another man was injured by an e-rickshaw. Vehicles moving amidst heavy crowd are causing trouble for the people doing parikrama.