Dumka: Jharkhand is planning to introduce helicopter services between Sultanganj in Bihar and Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar during the month-long Shravani Mela, and as an added attraction, gliders could be pressed into service to provide thrill-seekers some adventure during the annual religious fair.
Secretary of the state civil aviation department Sajal Chakravarti, who was in Deoghar to review the ongoing land acquisition process for the expansion of the airport, said that the idea had been taken up with his Bihar counterpart.
“Deoghar is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the country with lakhs visiting Baidyanath Dham every year. We want to introduce chopper services to ferry pilgrims from Sultanganj to Deoghar from this year’s Shravani Mela itself,” Chakravarti told The Telegraph.
Notably, around 50 lakh pilgrims throng the temple town during the mela in July–August to offer Ganga jal at the Baidyanath Dham temple, one of the dwadash jyotirlingams. Most collect the holy water from the Ganga at Sultanganj, and then carry it on foot to Deoghar, 100km away.
16/02/13 Rajesh Kumar Pandey/Telegraph
