Muslims mark Eid and final days of hajj in Saudi Arabia
Mina: Around 2.5 million pilgrims took part in a symbolic stoning of the devil on Saturday, marking the final days of the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world.
The five-day hajj pilgrimage is required of all Muslims once in their lifetime, if they are financially and physically able to make the journey.
Muslims around the world commemorate the end of hajj with Eid celebrations, including distributing meat to the poor.
"I came from Sudan to Mecca where I performed the pilgrimage," Mohammed Saleh said as he performed the final rites of hajj in Mina. "We hope all pilgrims will be successful in their hajj." Others too expressed a sense of gratitude to have performed the hajj.
Saudi Arabia said 1.85 million pilgrims from more than 160 different countries traveled to the kingdom for the hajj this year. Another 634,000 joined from within Saudi Arabia, nearly 70 per cent of them non-Saudi residents of the kingdom.
The hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth and a massive logistical challenge for the Saudi government to oversee each year. The kingdom provides pilgrims with health care and buses for transportation, as well as meals, snacks and water along the routes of hajj.
Mina is a sprawling valley near Mecca where thousands of air-conditioned tents are erected to house pilgrims for the final leg of the hajj.
Because of the narrow roads between tents, it is also where the deadliest hajj disasters have occurred, including a 2015 stampede and crush that killed more than 2,400 people.
The Saudi government has since widened roads and monitors the flow of people and crowds with tens of thousands of soldiers, guards, policemen and cameras.
Saudi media reported King Salman visited Mina on Sunday to supervise the services provided during the hajj. He included among his guests for the hajj this year 200 survivors and relatives of victims of the mosque attacks in New Zealand, where a gunman opened fire and killed 51 people in March.
It is in Mina where Muslims believe Ibrahim's faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son.
In Mina, pilgrims walk long distances on pedestrian-only streets toward a multi-story complex housing large pillars. There, they cast seven pebbles each at three pillars in a ritual meant to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.
Muslims believe the hajj offers the chance of atonement and an opportunity to erase past sins. The first two days of the hajj are spent in Makkah and other areas around it in deep prayer, contemplation and worship.
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Dakshina Kannada district administration gears up for monsoon season
Mangaluru (PTI): The Dakshina Kannada district administration has got down to work ahead of the monsoon season (June to August) by beginning preparations to tackle various rain-related issues.
At a meeting held on Tuesday, the district authorities, Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP reached out to the ground-level bureaucracy with directions on how to handle the challenges during the monsoon season.
Addressing the drinking water and disaster management authority officials, he highlighted the problems faced due to poor maintenance of the electrical system under Mangaluru Electric Supply Company (MESCOM) and said it was not just failure of power supply during rains but also snapping of live cables and falling electric poles which were a concern.
Since this would cause serious damage to life and property, he urged MESCOM to take precautions by carrying out inspections.
Muhilan also directed MESCOM to deploy additional men and open more control rooms across the district during the monsoon season and said both urban and rural areas must be given equal importance.
Muhilan said in the run-up to the monsoons, the existing domestic water availability should be managed prudently.
At the meeting, emphasis was laid on cleaning of dumping yards and garbage disposal areas before the monsoon.
The health department was asked to take precautionary measures against the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue and malaria during the rainy season.
He said that the National Highway should list areas where landslides occur in Charmadi Ghat areas and information should be made available to people about traffic related issues in ghat areas.
The district Deputy Commissioner instructed the Fisheries Department to hold a meeting on precautionary measures for fishermen during the rainy season.
