Drone Footage Shows Massive Rush In Varanasi As Devotees Flock Maha Kumbh

The crowd surge from the Prayagraj Mahakumbh is now spilling over into Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, filling the city’s streets, temples, and ghats with devotees. Over the weekend, lakhs of devotees thronged the Kashi Vishwanath temple, and the numbers continued to rise on Monday, with authorities expecting an even bigger rush in the coming days, especially as Mahashivratri approaches.

Drone footage from the area shows hundreds of thousands of devotees teeming the place with roads and bylanes dotted by pilgrims visiting the city. The huge rush of visitors has brought Varanasi’s streets and alleys to a standstill. However, the district administration, considering the increasing volume of devotees, has ordered the closure of all schools up to Class 8 till February 22, with online classes to continue.

Authorities believe that six to seven lakh devotees offer daily prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The temple observes queues spanning more than five km leading to the suspension of VIP privileges and ticket-based admission. With around 700 CCTV cameras and drones tracking public movements at the temple and ghats, authorities have strengthened security.

Vehicle travel inside the city limits has also been limited to control the influx and seamless flow of people. Police are using strong crowd control techniques, especially near the temple and ghats, therefore guaranteeing seamless travel for the pilgrims. Authorities remain on hight alert, ready for an even more significant turnout in the next days as Mahashivratri draws near.

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