Devghat Dham, which usually sees throngs of devotees on Shrawan Sankranti, appeared deserted today. Traditionally, devotees come early in the morning to bathe in the Narayani River, offer holy water, and worship Lord Shiva. However, the recent floods in the Narayani River and a bus accident at Simaltal have led to a minimal turnout of devotees this Shrawan Sankranti, according to visitors and locals.
Mohini Prasad Khanal, who came to Devghat from Bharatpur Metropolitan City-7 for the Sankranti bath, noted the stark contrast in the number of people compared to previous years. “Devghat Dham, which is usually crowded on Shrawan Sankranti, is eerily quiet this time. The fear of floods and the recent Simaltal landslide might have deterred people from coming,” he speculated.
Khanal further explained that the discovery of bodies in the river from the landslide has instilled fear among devotees. “This place, usually bustling with people coming for the holy bath, is deserted and feels dark,” he remarked.
Suryakant Sharma, a resident of Devghat originally from Lamjung, confirmed that the usual crowds are missing this Sankranti. “In previous years, there would be a significant number of devotees, but today only a handful have come,” he shared.
Govinda Prasad Timilsina, originally from Dhading and now residing in Chitwan, mentioned that he frequently visits Devghat. However, since the continuous floods and the Simaltal incident, the number of devotees has drastically reduced to nearly zero.
Executive Director of the Devghat Area Development Committee, Sadan Baral, confirmed the lower turnout compared to last year. Although there is no Bolbam fair this Shrawan, he anticipates that devotees might start coming from next Monday. He assured that the Devghat Area Development Committee has been facilitating the devotees who do come.
