Mass Hindu pilgrimages in India

On the first Monday of the Hindu month of Sawan/Shraavan, two major temples in eastern India prepared for unprecedented crowds. The Baba Garibnath Temple in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, expected more than 150,000 devotees to perform the water‑ablution ritual, with pilgrims traveling up to 87 km and authorities deploying police, CCTV, drones and cyber‑monitoring to secure intersections and the Patna‑Muzaffarpur highway.

Simultaneously, the Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand, anticipated 200,000‑300,000 worshippers. Officials expanded the outer offering area, installed expandable barriers, cleared nearby shops and mobilised additional police and Quick Response Teams to manage queues and maintain safety. Both events highlighted the scale of religious fervour and the coordinated crowd‑control measures undertaken by state authorities across different regions.

The parallel preparations underscore a coordinated response to massive pilgrim inflows during this key religious observance, with each state tailoring security and logistical arrangements to the expected turnout.