Lucknow, August 5, 2013: Over 30 lakh devotees paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at various temples in the state on "Sharavan Chaturdashi", which passed off peacefully amidst heavy security arrangements. 

Maximum number of 22 lakh devotees paid obeisance at Pura Mahadev temple in Baghpat, followed by 3.75 lakh and 3 lakh at Dudheshwar Nath temple (Ghaziabad) and Lodeshwar Mahadev (Barabaki) respectively. 

In Varanasi, 1.24 lakh devotees thronged at famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. 

"There was no incident on the occasion of Sharavan Chaturdashi due to elaborate security arrangements. 40 companies of PAC and 10 companies of RAF ere deployed at the key Shiva temples in the state," IG Law and Order R K Vishwakarma told reporters here. 

Due to the rush of devotees, traffic snarls were witnessed at many places including Delhi-Haridwar route passing through the state.

Source: Business Standard, DT. August 5, 2013.