Mathura, 2015.11.12 (PTI) With lakhs of pilgrims expected to take a dip in river Yamuna, the security has been beefed up for the annual Yam Dwiteeya festival tomorrow.
“To prevent incident of drowning, while services of the divers have been hired, police in plain cloth would also be posted at the Ghats. Also, to prevent incident of theft or eve-teasing. The entry of vehicles in Holigate area has also been banned for tomorrow,” DM Rajesh Kumar said.
Supply of power round the clock has also been ensured, the DM added.
On the insistence of plaintiff of Yamuna Karya Yojna, Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, discharge of extra water in Yamuna has been ensured.
“The Nodal officer of Yamuna Karya Yojna, ADM Mahendra Prasad, has not only ensured discharge of 101 cusec water from Okhla barrage, 400 cusec from Okhla silt rejector channel and 150 cusec water from Harnaul scape but it has also been discharged against the demand of 1000 cusec.
Nagar Palika Mathura has also made adequate arrangements for bathing.
“To prevent incidents of drowning, bathing area of Yamuna at Vishram Ghat has not only been encircled with boats from three sides but the pits in bathing area have also been filled to make the surface plain.
The cleanliness on the roads leading to Ghats has also been ensured”, Manisha Gupta, the chairperson of Mathura Nagar Palika said.
I would personally be camping at the Ghat since the beginning of bathing till the rush is over, she stated.
Normally bathing starts at the wee hours of the day and continues till afternoon.
The legend of ‘Bhaidooj’ or ‘Yama Dwitiya’
[Mathura On-line] Legend tells us that once upon a time Lord Yamaraj, the God of Death, visited his sister Yami, the river goddess of the Yamuna, on the 5th and the last day of Deepavali, the most auspicious and most celebrated Hindu festival.
She welcomed her brother with aarti (or lighting of the sacred lamp) and put a tilak (a mark of vermilion) on his forehead for his well-being and safety. Then she served him delicious food with special dishes and fruits. Thus the siblings spent time together laughing and reliving incidents and memories. They exchanged gifts and Yamaraj declared that the day would henceforth be known as Yama Dwitiya. Any man who rejoices in his sister’s company on that particular day and receives gifts and the mark of tilak from her will have a life filled with good health and good fortune and free of worry and will never be allowed entry into Yamaloka or hell.
The ritual of bathing at Vishram Ghat attains greater significance with the relevance of Yami and Yamaraj; thousands of sister-brother groups come to bathe in the Yamuna’s waters to reiterate and strengthen the bonds of blood and kinship. The temple holding the deities of Yami-Yamaraj was built by Vajranabha, Krishna’s great grandson.
This occasion is also marked as ‘Bhaidooj’ – bhai means brother and dooj represents the second day after the new moon. Bhaidooj is a part of Deepavali or Diwali, the festival that is traditionally celebrated over five days; on the darkest new moon night of Kartik, the Hindu Lunisolar month, Deepavali is celebrated signifying the victory of light over darkness.
At Mathura, the significance of Bhaidooj is equally reverent to Krishna. There is a common belief that the second day of Deepavali celebrations coincides with Naraka Chaturdasi, the day Krishna slew Narakasura, the hated demon who terrorised the common people. After this deed which Krishna accomplished as a parallel to his avatar of Lord Vishnu, he went to meet his half-sister Subhadra; the wife of Mahabharata hero Arjuna, who gave him a hero’s welcome with flowers, the sacred lamp and sweets and then adorned his forehead with the tilak.
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