Devotees offer prayers as Yamuna water reaches temple in Vrindavan

VRINDAVAN - Devotees in the holy town of Vrindavan are lighting lamps and offering special prayers to the River Yamuna for reaching the steps of a holy temple.

Dozens of devotees converged on the banks of River Yamuna near the Lal Gudri temple on Sunday to offer special prayers - saying after a gap of 32 years the waters of the river had touched the steps of the ancient temple.

The temple priest said that prayers were being offered to maintain peace and calmness in the river - so that it does not bring any harm to the residents.

“We are praying to thank the river Yamuna and to ensure that it stays peaceful,” said Basudev Das, temple priest.

Pilgrims who come to visit the various temples devoted to the Hindu God Krishna who spent much of his childhood in the small town - said they were feeling blessed to have arrived at such an auspicious time.

“We came here to visit the temples at Vrindavan and got to know about the flood in the city and these celebrations. Yamuna River entering Gyan Gurdi has its own significance and offering prayers at this time is very auspicious,” said Varsha Tiwari, a visitor.

People will continue to light the lamps on the riverbanks until the water recedes. The last time water reached Gyan Gudri was in 1978. By Nitin Gautam(ANI)