70,000 devotees take holy dip in Parshuram Kund

Itanagar: About 70,000 devotees, including hundreds of sadhus from across the country took holy dip in Parshuram Kund in Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh till yesterday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, official sources said today.

The sources from Tezu, the district headquarters, informed that most of the pilgrims were from Nepal, Manipur, and various parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Lohit deputy commissioner R K Sharma informed that about 75000 pilgrims thronged the kund and took a holy dip last year. This year, the number of visitors was little less than that of last year probably due to Kumbh Mela at Allahabad. However, the number of pilgrims visiting the holy kund is expected to be one lakh till the end of this month. Free food was provided to the pilgrims at the mela site by the Parshuram Sewa Samity and Manav Utthan Seva Samity of Tinsukia in neighbouring Assam besides some other NGOs. Free medical camp was also organized by ITBP, district medical authorities and Arunachal Pali Vidyapith. Round the clock volunteers to help the old and aged pilgrims and to control the crowd were provided by Vivekananda Kendra and Arun Jyoti, Wakro. The District police authorities made elaborate security arrangements and deployed adequate Police and Para Military Forces. Army also beefed up the security in the area, the DC informed. Parasuram Kund, nestled in the lower reaches of Lohit River in Lohit district of has been regarded as holy place for Hindu devotees. Every year in the month of January, the devotees from abroad and country thronged the Kund to take a holy dip in the river, and has its own importance. The legendary beheading of his mother by Parashuram and eventual penance followed by taking a bath in the so called Brahma Kund, has added religious significance to this naturally beautiful Kund. The legendary story of Parashuram Kund also finds its mention in many puranic texts in different ways. PTI