An ancient idol of Goddess Annapurna, brought back to India after over a century from Canada, would begin an over 800 km journey from Delhi on November 11 for its original location — the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where it is scheduled to be placed on November 15, said Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER G Kishan Reddy. The five-day ‘Shobha Yatra’ will see Uttar Pradesh ministers accompany the idol, which was received by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on October 5.
In Lucknow, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in-charge ministers of each district on the idol’s route will accompany the yatra in that district. The ASI will ascertain security arrangements at the idol’s original location before handing it to temple trustees.