Thousands of Shiva devotees throng UP temples (Lead)

Lucknow : Hundreds of thousands of Shiva devotees thronged temples across Uttar Pradesh on the final Monday of the Hindu holy month of Shravan as police kept a close watch and assigned drones to check any untoward incidents.

Long serpentine queues were seen at prominent Shiva temples amid tight security in the state capital, including the Mankameshwar temple on the banks of river Gomti.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Mathura and Ghaziabad.

Official said heavy police arrangements have been made to ensure that there is no law and order incident.

Morning showers in many parts of the state, including here, did not dampen the spirit of the saffron-robed devotees and kanwariyas carrying waters of the holy Ganges to pour on Shivlings at various places.

Varanasi witnessed the maximum bulk of devotees lined up to pay obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of the fabled Kashi Vishwanath temple. A large number of pilgrims also took a holy dip at the Dashashwamedh ghat.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) teams have been deployed along the river-side to keep the surging crowds at bay.

Allahabad, the second holy town in the state also saw a large turnout of Shaivites outside the temples.

Drones have been deployed to keep an eye, an official said.