Agra

The Muslims of Agra are ready to welcome Hindu devotees who walk to the Ganga River as part of the Kanwar Yatra to fetch water for showering it on Lord Shiva in five important Shiva temples located in the city of Taj Mahal as a mark of their devotion. Thousands of Shiva devotees are expected to pass by the Shiva temples located across the city within a few days.

While the administration is making proper security arrangements for the devotees visiting these temples, the Muslim community is also ready to facilitate the arduous passage of Hindu devotees who walk from Haridwar, Uttrakhand, with Ganga water in urns that must not touch the soil and offer it in five major Shiva temples of the city after making a ritualistic parikrima (circumambulations).

Ziauddin, a local Muslim said, “This month has been unusually hot and walking across the city with bare feet for such a long distance exhausts the Shiva devotees.”

The Muslims have decided to put up stalls of cold water and medicines etc to heal the would of the travelers. As the pilgrimage began on Friday, the pilgrims are expected to be on their return journey within a few days, the local Muslims sought permission from the administration to set up facilitation counters on the path of the pilgrims.

Ziauddin said Agra has been a city of harmony since the Mughal era and its residents have kept alive the spirit of 'universal brotherhood' for centuries.

He said that despite the worsening social climate of the country, the unity among the people of Agra has not been affected, and it’s intact and getting stronger with each passing day.

Meanwhile, Vishal Sharma, vice-chairman of the Hindu Samiti, said that the entire month of Shravan is a holy period of the year. The month holds significance for the city because of the annual Parikrama of the 'Panch Mahadev' temples - Rajeshwar, Balkeshwar, Kailash. Prithvinath, and Mankameswar, located in the heart of the old city, are barely a stone's throw away from the Jama Masjid.

This year, Parikrama will be held on the night of July 24, and volunteers from the Indian community will be deployed in communally sensitive areas of the city to assist the administration and police in preventing any untoward incident.

"Following reports of damage to public property by unruly elements en route to Parikrama in the past years, the administration has banned the carrying of walking sticks by devotees, which is a welcome step," he said. And it will help a lot in maintaining law and order.

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During the parikrama, city social worker Vijay Upadhyay said that after two years of Covid-induced lockdown and a resultant ban on the pilgrimage, there is excitement about welcoming the pilgrims this year. He appealed to the devotees not to throng the temples and enter in a queue since the Covid pandemic is still not over.