By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Feb 13: With Shivaratri starting from 12.45 am in the wee hours of Wednesday, devotees are bound for Peacock Island – Umanda Island. As many as eight ferries have been kept ready by the State Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department to ferry devotees from Rajaduwarghat at Fancy Bazar to Umanda Island across the Brahmaputra.
While all VIPs bound for Umanda Temple on Wednesday will be ferried from Rajaduwarghat only, others can go to the river island either from Rajaduwarghat or Uzan Bazarghat. The district administration has already installed CCTV cameras on the river island, besides deployment of security personnel. On its own, the temple committee has also deployed volunteers. The temple has been painted and decorated.
According to temple committee, last year over one lakh devotees visited the temple. They are hoping such a rush of devotees this year as well. They said that the puja going to start at 12.45 am on Wednesday would conclude at 12.30 am on Thursday. “We’ve made all arrangements for a smooth Shivaratri,” they said.