Jaipur, Oct 11 (PTI) Thousands of devotees thronged the famous Tripura Sundari temple in Rajasthan’s Banswara district on Sunday to offer prayers on the first day of Navratri, as religious festivities began amid chants and devotional songs.
Other temples in the state also witnessed a high footfall of devotees on the occasion.
Devotees started arriving at the Tripura Sundari temple since early in the morning to attend the “aarti” and seek the blessings of the goddess.
A major attraction of the celebrations was a five-kilometre-long chunri (ceremonial cloth) brought by devotees from Indore in Madhya Pradesh to be offered to the deity.
Thousands of devotees from Indore took out a procession carrying the chunri before offering it at the temple.
Chief priest Nikunj Mohan Pandya said the temple witnessed a heavy rush of devotees, with people arriving from Banswara and neighbouring areas to offer prayers.
He said the morning “aarti” was performed as part of the Navratri rituals and the devotees prayed for peace, prosperity and the well-being of their families.
Temple trust manager Jagesh Panchal said arrangements were made to manage the rush of devotees and ensure smooth “darshan”.
He said special attention is being given to crowd management as large numbers of pilgrims are expected to visit the temple during the nine-day festival.
The Tripura Sundari temple is among the prominent centres of worship of the goddess and attracts devotees from various states.
Navratri is celebrated through nine days of worship of different forms of Goddess Durga. PTI SDA SMV
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