ITANAGAR: Nearly 75,000 devotees, including sadhus from across the country, took a holy dip in Parshuram Kund in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Sunday. The pilgrims, mostly from Nepal, Manipur, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, had been gathering at the site since January 13, said R K Sharma, Lohit deputy commissioner, in a communique on Monday.
Last year, about 70,000 pilgrims thronged the kund to take a holy dip. This year too, the number of visitors was almost the same as last year's. The overall figure of the pilgrims visiting the holy kund will be about one lakh, which is likely to be completed by the end of this month. However, a few vehicles carrying pilgrims are still coming in, the DC informed.
Free food was provided to the pilgrims in the mela by Parshuram Sewa Samity and Manav Utthan Seva Samity of Tinsukia, Assam, Border Road Organization and some other NGOs. A free medical camp was also organized by the 25{+t}{+h} Bn of ITBP, district medical authorities, Arunachal Pali Vidyapith, Chongkham and Arun Jyoti. Volunteers provided by Vivekananda Kendra and Arun Jyoti, Tezu were present round-the-clock to help the aged pilgrims and to control the crowd. The district police authorities made security arrangements and deployed adequate police and paramilitary forces. Swami Adhokshanand, the sankaracharya of Goverdhanpeeth also visited the kund and took a holy dip. He expressed satisfaction on the arrangement and wished a peaceful life to the people.
According to the legend recorded in the Kalika Purana, Srimat Bhagawata and the Mahabharata, sage Parsurama washed away his sin of matricide in the waters of the Lohit river at Bramhakund. Situated within the Kamlang reserve forest, the Kund is surrounded by the dense forest of Ruddhraksha trees, the fruit of which is considered sacred by Hindu ascetics as well as general believers of the faith. With a belief that a holy dip frees one from all sins, male and female, of all age groups, gather here every year from across the country for the purpose on this day.
Like most pilgrim centers in other parts of India, Parashuram Kund has been a source of spiritual inspiration for a multitude of devotees since time immemorial.
The pilgrims, mostly from Nepal, Manipur, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam and Arunachal Pradesh had been gathering at the site since January 13.
News coverage by : TOI : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-17/guwahati/3063506…
