Key Takeaways
- The grand festival at Bageshwar Dham on Maha Shivaratri will marry off 151 economically backward women.
- The couples will receive a motorcycle each and wedding attire as gifts.
- The festival aims to help destitute young girls and alleviate poverty in their lives.
On the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri, on Friday, March 8, carrying forward the tradition and legacy of past years, a grand festival, wherein 151 economically backward and marginalised women will be married off, will take place at Bageshwar Dham, which is the centre of faith for millions of people, both and India and abroad. Religious functions and celebrations are held at Bageshwar Dham throughout the year. However, on Maha Shivaratri, the Peethadheeshwar, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, marries off destitute young girls.
Kicking off the grand celebrations, Shastri Ji will recite a Katha at the Dham itself, which will be enjoyed by the devotees from February 14 to February 20. This will be followed by a Katha based on the theme ‘Apne Apne Ram’, recited by poet Dr Kumar Vishwas, from February 27 to 29.
In a press conference organised at the Dham on Sunday, February 11, Shastri Ji offered a gist of the programme schedule to the media. Giving important information, he said that Dr Vishwas’s Katha will take place from 4 PM to 7 PM on the given dates; and from March 1 to 7, a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha will be recited by renowned Katha Vachak, Indresh Upadhyay Ji. Devotees of Bageshwar Dham from the world over will witness these religious programmes and the grand marriage festival of 151 women on March 8, 2024.
While Shastri Ji met with the girls who were married off last year, and checked in on them; he also appealed to the followers of Sanatana Dharma and social workers, to attend these programmes to be held at Bageshwar Dham.
On March 8, 151 girls from 6 states of India will be married off, and out of the girls who have been chosen for the same, 75 are from Chhatarpur district, 14 from Panna, 10 from Tikamgarh, 7 from Damoh, Jhansi, and Mahoba each, 4 are from Sagar and Satna each. 10 differently abled girls are also a part of this group of girls. Apart from this, 24 of them are orphans, 59 have lost their fathers, and 10 do not have their mothers with them anymore. 48 extremely poor girls will also be getting married.
The Dham will be gifting a motorcycle each to all the couples, and the wedding attires will also be gifted to them well in time so that they could come prepared on their big day.
