Now Reading: Girnar Lili Parikrama preparations ramped up for 10 lakh devotees
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Girnar Lili Parikrama preparations ramped up for 10 lakh devotees
The Story in Brief
Junagadh district administration and forest department have stepped up preparations for the Girnar Lili Parikrama, set to begin on 20 November, after unseasonal rain forced its suspension in 2025. The 36-km pilgrimage route through the Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary is expected to draw around 10 lakh devotees.
A high-level team inspected the route on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, reviewing medical posts, volunteer deployment, pathway lighting and drinking water facilities. A poor monsoon in 2026 has left natural streams with insufficient water. District collector Yogesh Chaudhary said the administration is prioritising activation and expansion of borewells to ensure uninterrupted drinking water.
Officials are also addressing water supply while enforcing a ban on single-use plastic, urging devotees to carry steel bottles and refill at designated stations. Forest staff are identifying potential conflict points along the route to prevent stampedes from wildlife sightings. Religious leaders have advised elderly people, young children and those with mobility limitations to assess their ability to undertake the trek.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The administration faces a dual challenge: supplying drinking water after a deficient monsoon without violating the plastic ban, and managing crowd safety inside a wildlife sanctuary where a lion or leopard sighting could trigger a stampede. The borewell expansion plan is a stopgap fix, not a solution to the underlying water scarcity. The suspension of last year's edition (2025) shows how fragile the pilgrimage's logistics are. The next step is whether the district can keep the 10 lakh expected pilgrims safe from both dehydration and wildlife encounters during the 36-km trek from 20 November.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
