A tragic stampede at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki claimed the lives of two devotees and left 29 others injured in the early hours of Monday. The incident occurred during a midnight ‘Jalabhishek’ ritual, a traditional water offering to Lord Shiva, observed during the holy month of Sawan.
The stampede broke out around 2 am when panic ensued following an electric shock within the temple premises. According to officials, the chaos was triggered after a high-tension wire snapped and fell onto a shed in the temple compound.
District Magistrate Durgesh Shukla stated that the incident was caused by monkeys jumping onto the overhead wire, which then broke and made contact with the structure below, resulting in an electric shock that sparked alarm among the large gathering of devotees.
Thousands had gathered at the temple in the Haidergarh area to perform the sacred ‘Jalabhishek’ ritual on the third Monday of Sawan, a day considered highly auspicious for Lord Shiva worshippers.
Emergency teams rushed to the spot, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Authorities are continuing investigations and assessing safety measures at the temple site to prevent such mishaps in the future.
The incident has cast a shadow over the holy observance, prompting officials to appeal for calm and assure devotees that all necessary precautions will be taken in the days ahead.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)