PATNA, July 9, 2013: In a bid to make the visit to the Babadham temple inDeoghar ( Jharkhand) during the month-long ShrawaniMela a hassle-free job for the devotees, the temple management has devised a unique crowd management system. According to this novel system, there will be time slot arrangement and a unique 'arghyavyawastha' for all the devotees under which they will be given a special wrist band and a 'suwidha pass' with the time slot and the serial number printed on it.

According to their slot, they will be allowed to enter into the temple and offer arghya to the 'Dwadash Jyotirlinga'. One can obtain the bar coded wrist bands at Rs 10 through vendors, various shops and activation centers located on the way from Dumma to Khijuriya. On the activation of these bands at any of the seven activation centers, the devotees will be given 'suwidha passes' with their respective photos and their time slot and serial number.

Starting from 4 am till 10 pm, there will be around 16 time slots. The visitors would queue up at the entrance complex located at Nehru Park near Shivganga according to the time prescribed on their 'suwidha passes'. Moreover, to make every devotee feel that his/her attempt to offer 'gangajal' on Lord Shiva was successful, the management will fit a brass alley on the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum which will meet the jyotirlinga inside. Devotees will be asked to offer holy water through these alleys itself and not to go into the small sanctum to directly offer 'gangajal' to the jyotirlinga. "This way we assure zero chances of stampede this year," said Deoghar DC Rahul Kumar Purwar, while addressing a press meet here on Monday.

For daak kanwariyas, there is a special arrangement of golden pass which they would have to get activated at the activation counter at Sarasani. However, their golden pass would not have time slot or any serial number printed and this would give them liberty to join any serial number queue.

Besides, there will also be a special provision of 'shighra darshanam' under which people desiring speedy worship would have to pay a certain amount as donation to the temple fund at the special counter at the Vaidyanath Sanskrit Paathshala. In return, they would get a suwidha pass with 'shighra darshanam' printed on it and they will get the privilege to join any queue and under any slot. Through this system, the management assures that around 5,000 devotees would offer hassle-free prayer in one slot of and offering prayer by elderly and physically disabled would not be difficult.

The new system will come into force a week before Shrawani Mela begins on July 23, Purwar said.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 9, 2013.