The annual 21-km-long “parikrama” of the Govardhan hill — which Lord Krishna, as a child, is believed to have lifted on his little finger to protect the people from the wrath of Lord Indra — began on Sunday in Mathura.
The event will culminate on the full moon night on July 23.
The “parikrama” happens to be one of the biggest fairs in this part of the country and coupled with the Jai Gurudev annual event that has already begun in Mathura, the township has turned into a human deluge.
“The Mathura administration has already been asked to remain on high alert during this event and elaborate security arrangements has been made. A special traffic plan has been evolved to ensure smooth flow of traffic and prevent congestion. The Yamuna Expressway will be used to divert heavy vehicles from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab to reach Agra,” said a home department spokesman. The local administration expects over 10 million devotees to participate in the event over the next two days after which they also take a holy dip in the Mansi Ganga in Govardhan.
District authorities have already banned bathing in the holy “kunds” (ponds) on the parikrama trail and at the Mansi Ganga, more than 500 sprinklers and showers will allow pilgrims to take a holy bath.
The state roadways has deployed an additional 1,000 buses while the railways extended some trains and provided more halts to clear the rush.
More than 40 private parking areas have been developed and the district authorities in Mathura said more than 4,000 police personnel had been deployed in the area. CCTV cameras were keeping a close vigil on the movement of all types of vehicles.
The Govardhan Parbat, incidentally, is now a sandstone hill called Giriraj, about eight km long. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed the parikrama during his visit to Vrindavan early in the 16th century, he did not climb the Goverdhan Parbat, saying it was Krishna himself in the form of the hill. Followers of Gaudiya Vaishnav community follow the tradition and celebrate Mudiya Poonau as Guru Poornima.