Devotees arrive at Ram Janmabhoomi Temple & Kashi Vishwanath on the occasion of Basant Panchami

A long queue of devotees has been standing at Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath temple since dawn, waiting for the darshan of Baba Vishwanath after taking a holy dip in the Ganga. This year, for the first time, pilgrims visiting the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj are also heading to Varanasi and Ayodhya, leading to a surge in religious tourism.

The queue for darshan at Kashi Vishwanath stretched nearly 2 km, with devotees waiting for hours. Despite the crowd, many praised the arrangements.

KL Krishna, a devotee, said, "Basant Panchami holds great significance. We enjoyed coming here, and the Varanasi administration has ensured a comfortable experience. There was no inconvenience in taking a bath; everything was well managed."

Ramlal from Punjab shared a similar sentiment, stating, "The Basant Panchami Snan has been a wonderful experience. There is a large crowd, but everything looks beautiful. Prayagraj was also a great experience when we took a bath there earlier."

In Ayodhya, devotees expressed their satisfaction with the arrangements. Anjana Katoch from Punjab said, "...The temple is very grand, and we had a good darshan of our god today. We have had a long struggle for this temple and this day. I am satisfied with my visit here. The arrangements here are excellent, and we did not face any inconvenience. It took us hardly half an hour to get inside the temple; it was very convenient..."

Kamla, a devotee from Mumbai, shared her experience, stating, "Initially, I was worried because a lot of people told us on the way to Maha Kumbh that it was too crowded... But it wasn't that crowded, and I could easily take a dip at the Ghat. Later, we took a dip at Triveni as well... The preparations were really good there... There's not a lot of crowd here at Saryu Ghat as well..."

Several devotees also travelled from Nepal to seek blessings at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

Lalita Mukhiya from Nepal said, "I'm very happy to be in Ayodhya on Basant Panchami, having taken a sacred dip in the Saryu River. I'm originally from Janakpur Dham in Nepal's Dhausa district. I first visited the Kumbh Mela and then came to Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram. This city is truly divine, and I feel blessed to have experienced its beauty and spirituality."

Prayagraj also witnessed a massive influx of devotees on the occasion of Basant Panchami, with thousands taking a holy dip in the sacred Triveni Sangam-- the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.

More than 6.22 million devotees took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam as of 8 am on Monday on the third 'Amrit Snan' on the occasion of Basant Panchami, officials said. (ANI)