RASUWA: On the auspicious occasion of Janai Purnima, devotees are bathing at the sacred pilgrimage site of Gosainkunda today.

From early morning at 2:00 AM, pilgrims and locals from various districts including Nuwakot, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Chitwan, Dhading, Dhanusha, Makwanpur, Kaski, Syangja, Tanahun, Gorkha, Bhojpur, Ramechhap, and Saptari have been performing ritual baths and worship at the holy pond to seek religious blessings.

Sanjiv DM, chairman of the Gosainkunda Area Development Committee, shared that it is a tradition to visit this sacred site at least once in a lifetime to bathe and worship for blessings.

Located at an altitude of 4,380 meters above sea level, the ancient and religiously significant pond is believed to bring relief and joy after the fatigue of the uphill trek is overcome by immersion in its waters.

Due to adverse weather, helicopter flights from Kathmandu for air travelers have been disrupted. Among the pilgrims, five people from Saptari, Lalitpur, and Sindhupalchok experienced health issues caused by water entering their heads.

Since health camp resources were insufficient to fully recover them, doctors from the Himalayan Rescue Association recommended their transfer to better-equipped hospitals.

One traveler from Jorpati, Kathmandu, was found to have pulmonary edema due to altitude sickness and was sent to Dhunche by the health camp.

A total of six seriously ill pilgrims were carried down by the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force during the night.

The Himalayan Rescue Association has treated 150 patients with minor ailments so far. Additionally, the Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), has been operating a health camp at Deurali to provide primary care and support rescue efforts, treating over 150 pilgrims and providing energy supplements for their pilgrimage.

The Nepal Army’s Shree Shrinath Battalion health camp at Cholungpati has provided primary care to 1,800 pilgrims, according to the Public Health Office.

Reports on night-time treatments by the Army are still pending. The local administration confirmed that seriously ill pilgrims are being evacuated by the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police.

Chief District Officer Arjun Paudel stated that sufficient security personnel have been deployed to maintain order, and specially trained security forces are stationed at the bathing area by the pond’s edge to prevent a repeat of the drowning incident that occurred in late July.

Chairman DM added that free medical services and hot water are being provided by Gosainkunda Rural Municipality, District Hospital, Public Health Office, Ayurvedic Medicine, Green City Hospital, Nepal Army, Himalayan Rescue Association, Panchdham Committee, and the Dhunche Youth Group.

District Police Chief Hem Bahadur Shahi reported that the security situation is normal.