Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], July 17 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Haridwar and participated in the event organised at the Ganga Ghat near Om Bridge and welcomed and honoured the Shiva devotees Kanwariyas from all over the country by washing their feet. He also participated in the organised Bhajan Sandhya.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "It is my good fortune to have had the opportunity to wash the feet of Shiva devotees, the Kanwariyas, and receive their blessings. He congratulated all the administrative officers, including those from HRDA and the Haridwar Police, for the successful event. He said that by merely offering water, Lord Shiva fulfils the wishes of all his devotees, and in the month of Shavan, the effect of devotion to Lord Shiva increases tremendously. Travelling hundreds and thousands of kilometres from all over the country, Shiva devotees Kanwariyas take the water of Ganga from the religious city of Haridwar and perform Jalabhishek. He said that Kanwar Yatra is not only a symbol of devotion and faith but it also gives us an opportunity to become a part of virtue in service."
So far this year, more than one crore Shiva devotees have left for their respective destinations on the Kanwar Yatra.
The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with development, many revival works are also going on for the preservation of culture, whether it is the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya or the Mahakal to be built in Ujjain, the reconstruction of Kedarnath in our Devbhoomi Uttarakhand or the master plan of Badrivishal, work is going on on all these.
He said that the Prime Minister has done the work of making the Adi Kailash Yatra famous all over the world by becoming the first flag bearer in the state. The CM added that PM Modi is the first Prime Minister of the country who went to a height of 17,500 feet and visited Lord Adi Kailash and Parvati Kund in the border area.
"Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, it is proposed to construct the Haridwar-Rishikesh Corridor on the banks of Mother Ganga. Iin the coming time, Haridwar Dharamnagari will also be seen in its grand form like Kashi, Ayodhya," he added.
He highlighted that the Kanwar Yatra is not only a religious event but also a symbol of our faith, devotion, and Sanatan culture, and that we are fortunate to have the opportunity to serve crore of Shiva devotees every year. He said that Shiv Shakti is not a display but an internal sadhana.
He said, "It is a holy journey and ritual to perform Jalabhishek, offering water and worshipping Lord Mahadev. He said that this journey is done to please Mahadev, to fulfil one's wishes, to purify oneself."
The Chief Minister appealed that no one should be troubled due to the journey, and that there should be no disturbance or hindrance during the journey, while following the rules of the Kanwar Yatra.
He highlighted that some people are trying to forget the objectives of the Kanwar Yatra and are instead following the path of unrest and disturbance. He appealed to them to behave like true Shiv Bhaktas, because "when a devotee is humble and tolerant, they attain spiritual peace."
He prayed to Lord Ashutosh that this time the Kanwar Yatra awakens the Shiva element within the devoteed;,for which one must remain happy and behave peacefully. He said that this holy land of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand not only welcomes all of you, but also considers your service as its good fortune.