The annual Karauli Devi mela that started a week ago near Kaila Devi shrine in Rajasthan ended on Friday with over 50 lakh devotees participating in the nine-day-long Chaitra Navratri festival.
The annual mela, one of the biggest congregations of devotees from across India especially from western parts of Uttar Pradesh, is organised in Rajasthan's Karauli district, some 250 km of Agra.
For over a week pilgrims continued to converge in Karauli, carrying red flags and donning red bands marching on barefoot.
Karauli Devi mela is a sort of Kumbh mela in the Braj Mandal area touching Bharatpur and Dholpur districts in Rajasthan.
The highway from Agra to Jaipur was lined up with devotees and langars (community kitchens), resting places and dispensaries were arranged for devotees along the route to the shrine.
"The Agra-Jaipur highway was full of vehicles, carrying devotees to Karauli during this Navratri festival," said Srikant Shukla, a devotee from Agra.
"Luckily the weather was fine, and favourable for journey. Both Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Roadways buses ferried devotees to their destination," said an official at the Idgah bus stand in Agra.
Temples dedicated to the goddess in Karauli have been given a festive look with flags flying high.
