Temples in Uttarakhand close doors ahead of last lunar eclipse
Dehradun (PTI): The doors of temples in Uttarakhand, including at Badrinath and Kedarnath, were closed after performing puja on Sunday afternoon, ahead of the last lunar eclipse of the year.
The evening Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar was also performed in the afternoon.
The lunar eclipse will begin at 9:58 pm on Sunday, and the Sutak period begins nine hours before that, i.e., at 12:58 pm. Rishi Prasad Sati, vice president of Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, said that due to the Sutak period of the lunar eclipse, all the temple doors under the temple committee, including Badrinath and Kedarnath temples, were closed for darshan at 12:50 pm on Sunday.
He said that after the lunar eclipse ends, the temples will be opened after cleaning on Monday morning. He said that the responsibility of cleaning the temple and its premises in Jyotirmath has been taken by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel along with the employees of the temple committee.
In Haridwar too, before the Sutak period began, the doors of major temples like Daksh Temple, Bilveshwar Temple, Daridra Bhanjan Temple, Maya Devi Temple, Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi were closed after performing the puja.
The Ganga Aarti, which is performed at 6:45 pm every evening at Har Ki Pauri, was also performed at 12:30 pm. A large number of devotees participated in the Ganga Aarti held in the afternoon.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
