City areas decorated with vibrant colours for Rath Yatra

Ludhiana: Days ahead of Maha Shivratri, the city witnessed religious atmosphere as the Rath Yatra of Lord Shiva was scheduled for the day. The Rath Yatra attracted a large number of people including the kids, youngsters, senior citizens and groups of volunteers from various communities. The streets, main roads and areas of the city were decorated with colourful flowers, lights, vibrant themes and various stalls offering Prasad and food items, all over the path that was dedicated to the Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra of Lord Shiva started from the Durga Mata Temple in the afternoon around 2 PM, marking the beginning of the religious event, the Rath passed through prominent landmarks of the city including Aarti chowk, Ghumar Mandi, Fountain Chowk, Rani Jhansi road, college road before the ending of the religious event at the Nav Durga temple, Sarabha nagar Ludhiana.
The Rath Yatra covered various roads and other major areas of the city as stated by the organising committee and its members. Various religious groups, communities, authorities and businesses owners have been involved in decorating the streets with lights, food stalls to offer Prasad,and welcomed the Rath Yatrawhile seeking blessings from Lord Shiva, as the Maha Shivratri is also around the corner, on February 15. District authorities have also made arrangements to ensure the smooth flow of the event, including traffic diversions and security measures to accommodate the large crowds. Meanwhile it was also observed on these roads of the events and connecting areas that the Ludhiana traffic police was present at duty for commuters to divert them accordingly. The traffic police authorities were present guiding the local residents to not take the Yatra route during the event hours that could help the authorities manage the event, preventing congestion and ensuring the safety of everyone. The residents were preparing for the event eagerly, with many setting up stalls in front of their shops, houses, businesses and other buildings. The city's atmosphere was filled with devotional music and chants. There were various cultural dance traditional performances and other religious ceremonies on the roads dedicated to Lord Shiva. The traffic diversion points for the event included Mall Road, Fountain chowk, old session chowk, ghumar mandi, Bhai wala chownk diversion, Aarti chowk, Saggu chownk, college road, hero bakery signal, and duties of traffic officials were appointed. As shared by Gurpreet Kaur Purewal, ADCP Traffic Ludhiana.