Varanasi, Nov 14 As the city prepares to celebrate Dev Deepawali on Friday (November 15), lakhs of tourists are expected to throng the holy town to witness the auspicious festival.
Dev Deepawali is particularly celebrated in Varanasi, also Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. It is observed annually on the 15th lunar day of the Kartik month in the Hindu calendar, along with Kartik Purnima. The day is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Shiva over the demon Tripurasur.
As the city gears up for a huge influx of tourists this year, the hotels and boats are also witnessing unprecedented demand. As per official estimates, about 10 lakh tourists are expected to visit the city this year.
Hotels, homestays as well as boats in the city have been booked, ahead of Dev Deepawali. This year is likely to have 20 per cent more tourists, as compared to last year.
Priyank Dev Singh, Secretary of Varanasi Hotel Association said that this time the number of tourists on Dev Diwali has increased significantly, compared to last year. Most of the tourists are staying in homestays and guest houses.
"Booking for Dev Diwali starts from June itself. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the people about it and the tourists coming here are also going to Ayodhya. Apart from this, tourism is also being promoted by the government," he said.
A couple of boatmen also shared information about the huge rush, this time.
Boatman Makalu Sahni said that every year he makes necessary preparations for Dev Diwali. During this time, he takes care of passengers’ facilities. This time, there is a lot of enthusiasm among people and most of the boats have also been booked in advance.”
Tinku Sahni, another boatman, said that the booking of boats starts a week in advance. This time people are booking boats in sharing mode.
On the occasion of Dev Deepawali, plans have been afoot to light up the 84 ghats of the holy town with 17 lakh earthen lamps. Apart from this, fireworks and laser shows will also be organised. Elaborate arrangements have also been made for the world-famous Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.
--IANS
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