Rain brings life in Agra to halt

Agra, July 17 (IANS) Intermittent showers along with spells of heavy downpour brought life to a grinding halt in Agra, cutting off several localities as knee-deep water inundated city roads, officials said on Sunday.

"We have not seen such heavy rain in July for many years. Some parts are totally deluged in rain water," said Vijay Nagar colony resident Sudhier Gupta.

In Goverdhan, the crowds of pilgrims gathered for the annual five-day Mudiya Poonau festival faced lots of difficulties while performing the 21-km parikrama (circumambulation) of the mount.

Lord Krishna is said to have held aloft the holy hill on his little finger for the ‘Brajbasis’, the people of Braj, to take shelter under during a downpour unleashed by Lord Indra, the god of rain.

"This year, the arrangements have been generally poor and wanting, compared to last year and pilgrims are facing lots of hardships," said Pavan Gautam, an activist.

The railways have introduced a few special trains while the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways has deployed over a thousand buses to ferry pilgrims to the holy hill.

Mudiya Poonau parikrama and the puja in Goverdhan annually attracts over 10 million pilgrims.