DEOGHAR, July 21, 2013: For the first time, there will be remote darshan of Baba Baidyanath during the month-long ShrawaniMela. The temple administration, beginning Monday, has decided to stop entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum. They can pour Gangajal (arghya) which they bring from Sultanganj, 120 km from here, through a 140 kg brass vessel. Devotees can watch the water falling on the 'Dwadash jyotirlingam' through a CCTV mirror and can have darshan of Lord Shiva through the CCT mirror only.

The Jharkhand civil aviation department has made arrangements for aerial 'darshan' of the temple by paying Rs 500. They will fly from Deoghar airport twice over the temple and offer their prayers in the air. For the affluent, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation andJharkhand Federation of Commerce and Industries have arranged two small aircraft fromJamshedpur and Ranchi. The three-and-half-hour chartered to-and-fro flight will carry nine passengers for Rs 14,999 each. These devotees will stay at a hotel here and be allowed a premium pass for 'darshan'. They can wait in the AC hall of the temple office before being allowed entry into the temple. The government will give them a kit containing puja materials.

The "shighra darshanam (immediate darshan)" passes, proposed to be issued for Rs 1,000 each, will now cost only Rs 500. The 'shighra' pass holders will join the queue inside the temple and offer oblations through the 'arghya' only. They, too, would not be allowed to enter the 'garbha griha'. The VIPs, too, would have to satisfy themselves by putting their offerings through the vessel. CAG S K Sharma, a Bihar cadre IAS officer, worshipped at the temple along with his family members on Friday.

The administration has made changes in the arrangements for devotees including kanwariyas and Dak kanwariyas (who cover the entire distance within 24 hours at one stretch from Sultanganj). The divisional commissioner of Santhal Parganas, A K Mishra, said the teams of disaster management, Rapid Action Force and 6,000 policemen from neighbouring districts had been called to manage them.

Devotees coming from Sultanganj, Jasidih, Chakai or Sarath will have to obtain wrist bands from the roadside vendors in the town. These wrist bands will have names of the pilgrims, badge number, date of 'darshan' and a particular time when they will be allowed entry into the temple.

The wrist bands are being made available on the kanwariya route from Dumma on Bihar-Jharkhand border to Khijuriya near the temple. A wrist band costs Rs 10. In Deoghar town, 15 cyber cafes have been allowed to activate these wrist bands charging Rs 5 per band. Activated bands will have photos of the pilgrims, after which they will enter Nehru Park fixed as entrance gate to the temple complex. Within two hours of their entry, they will be able to reach the temple. Earlier, they had to wait for 15 to 16 hours. The pilgrims will enter the temple premises in a single file. However, with the administration not publicizing the new scheme at Sultanganj or on the 120 km route, the devotees will face difficulties in following the new system, claimed roadside vendors.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 21, 2013.