Haridwar/Haldwani, Jan. 2 -- Despite severe cold conditions in the state, thousands of devotees thronged temples across the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions on Thursday to offer prayers on the first day of the New Year. In the Garhwal region, temples across Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Dehradun, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi witnessed a steady stream of devotees from the early hours of the morning. At Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar, pilgrims began arriving at Brahmakund before dawn to take a holy dip in the Ganga and participate in the Ganga Aarti. After the ritual bath, devotees visited prominent shrines including Mata Mansa Devi, Mata Chandi Devi, Maya Devi, Shri Dakshin Kali Peeth, Sureshwari Devi, Daksheshwar Mahadev, Bilkeshwar Mahadev and Bharat Mata temple, among others. In Pauri Garhwal, large crowds were reported at Maa Dhari Devi, Neelkanth shrine, Siddh Bali temple in Kotdwar, Tadkeshwar Mahadev, Maa Kalinka Devi at Bhunkhal, Raj Rajeshwari temple and Danda Nagraja. The Surkanda Devi shrine in Tehri Garhwal witnessed heavy footfall on New Year's Eve as well as on Thursday. Other prominent shrines in the district, including Mata Chandrabadni, Kunjapuri also recorded a significant rush. In Chamoli, devotees visited the Pandukeshwar temple, the winter abode of Lord Badrinath, along with Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gopinath temple. In Uttarkashi, heavy footfall was seen at Kuleti temple, Manikarnika Ghat, Ekadash Rudra temple, and the Yamuna temple at Kharsali, the winter abode of the Yamunotri shrine. Similarly, in Rudraprayag, devotees offered prayers at the Omkareshwar temple, the winter seat of Lord Kedarnath, along with Maa Kalimath shrine, Triyugi Narayan temple, Kartik Swami, Koteshwar Mahadev, Karamjeet temple, Haryali Devi and Indrasani Mansa Devi. Temples in Dehradun also witnessed a heavy rush, including Tapkeshwar Mahadev, Mata Santala Devi, Daat Kali temple, Mani Mai temple, Lakshman Siddh, Kalu Siddh, Shri Panchayati Kesari Lakshmi Narayan temple in Dharampur, Prithvi Nath temple, Jungam Shivalaya, Sai temple on Rajpur Road and Prem Nagar Sanatan Mandir. In the Kumaon division, devotees flocked to temples to mark the New Year with prayers for peace and prosperity. Major shrines in Nainital district, including Maa Naina Devi, Kainchi Dham and Goljyu Devta, saw large gatherings. Jageshwar and Binsar temples in Almora and Bagnath Dham in Bageshwar also witnessed a steady inflow of devotees. According to police officials, Kainchi Dham experienced an exceptionally heavy rush on Thursday. Despite the biting cold, devotees began arriving as early as 5 am, leading to a queue stretching two to three kilometres, which resulted in traffic congestion on the approach roads....