Lucknow, Amrit Vichar: On the occasion of New Year 2026, an unprecedented scene of religious faith was seen in the capital Lucknow. The crowd of lakhs of devotees at the city’s major temples, Gurudwaras and Jain religious places clearly shows that the capital is now emerging as a major center of religious tourism. The effect of expansion of schemes and facilities of the Tourism Department was clearly visible in the New Year.
There was a steady flow of devotees throughout the day on Thursday at the Hanuman temple in Aliganj. Jagdamba Prasad, the chief priest of the temple, said that the temple was decorated with 501 kg of flowers and the Bhandara was organized continuously. About 2.50 lakh devotees visited here. At the same time, more than 1.50 lakh devotees had darshan of Lord Hanuman in Hanuman Setu temple. According to Mahant Divya Giri of Mankameshwar Temple, a grand procession was taken out on the occasion of English New Year and more than 1.5 lakh devotees had darshan of Baba Bholenath.
Aarti, bhajan, havan-puja and bhandars were also organized in other major temples including Chandrika Devi Temple, Hanumant Dham, Alambagh Hanuman Temple. Shanti Dhara and Abhishek were held in Jain temples, while special diwans were decorated in the Gurudwaras of Yahiyaganj, Alambagh, Indiranagar and Khalsa Chowk. This revealed the multi-religious and inclusive nature of Lucknow.
Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Continuous work is being done towards making it a center of religious and cultural tourism. Special attention is being paid to basic facilities, beautification and easy transportation at the religious places of the capital. The huge crowd gathered on New Year made it clear that religious tourism is not only strengthening faith but is also strengthening the local economy and employment.
Jaiveer Singh, Minister of Tourism and Culture Department, UP.
