Mathura: As the festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami approaches, preparations have intensified in Mathura-Vrindavan. Devotees from all over the country have already started preparations to stay in Vrindavan to have darshan at Thakur Shri Banke Bihari Temple and attend the Mangala Aarti to be held after the night of Janmashtami. Advance booking is going on in many hotels, guest houses and ashrams of the city, while rooms in many major hotels located around the temple area have started getting full. However, as per the prescribed arrangements, only 600 devotees will be given entry in Mangala Aarti. In such a situation, merely booking a room in a hotel or ashram will not ensure entry into the Aarti.

Lakhs of devotees likely to reach Mathura-Vrindavan

This time on Janmashtami, lakhs of devotees from India and abroad are likely to reach Mathura-Vrindavan. According to hotel operators, calls are coming continuously for booking. The first choice of devotees is to stay near the temple, so that they can get convenience in darshan. There is special enthusiasm among the devotees especially about the Mangala Aarti which takes place in the morning after the night of Janmashtami. Devotees coming from far away places are planning to reach Vrindavan several days in advance.

Preparations intensified for Janmashtami

Here the district administration has also intensified preparations for Janmashtami. This time there is a plan to decorate Kanha city in an attractive manner. Bridges and dividers will be illuminated with peacock lights, while the boundary walls along the roads will be painted with paintings to Braj culture and religious traditions. Last year, about 40 lakh devotees-tourists had reached Mathura on Janmashtami. This time this number is expected to increase further by 10 to 15 lakhs.

In view of the possible crowd of devotees, the Municipal Corporation and the Electricity Department are strengthening the arrangements by spending about Rs 1.45 crore. The Municipal Corporation is repairing the roads and beautifying 22 major intersections at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore. According to Municipal Commissioner Ojasvi Raj, the city is being decorated on a special theme of pink, purple and green i.e. peacock colors. Wall painting work has started from August 11 and a target has been set to decorate the city by September 1.

dye-electric painting

The work of installing new light poles from Masani to Deeg Gate is also going on. HDPE insulation pipes of 0.6 mm thickness and dielectric painting are being done on the street light poles of the Municipal Corporation limits. This will help reduce the risk of electrocution during rain and humidity. This insulation is said to remain effective for about a year.

At the same time, the Electricity Department has started works worth about Rs 20 lakh to strengthen the security arrangements in Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi area and Parikrama Marg. According to Superintending Engineer City Mudit Tiwari, about 2000 dilapidated electric poles are being replaced, while welding and repair work of 3000 panels is being done. Along with repairing power lines, pruning of trees will also be done. The department has set a target to complete these works by Rakshabandhan.

Amidst the preparations of the administration, the enthusiasm of the devotees regarding Janmashtami is also increasing. Now everyone's eyes are on how Janmashtami will be organized in Braj this time amid crowd management, security, traffic and arrangements for temple darshan.