Lucknow, July 12 -- Devotees in queue at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi were greeted with a shower of flowers on Friday, marking the auspicious beginning of the Sawan month. The day began with the Mangala Aarti of Lord Vishwanath. Following the Aarti, divisional commissioner S Rajalingam, who is the ex-officio chairman of the executive committee of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, welcomed devotees by showering flowers upon them. As part of the Shikhar Aradhana ritual, devotees were showered with flowers in front of the three temple peaks representing Lord Baba Shri Kashi Vishwanath, Lord Dandapani and Lord Baikuntheshwar. Three plates of flowers were also offered to Maa Annapurna. The petals from these offerings were distributed throughout the day to devotees, along with Akshat Prasad of Maa Annapurna, as a welcome gift to mark the first day of the holy month. Chief executive officer Vishwa Bhushan, deputy collector Shambhu Sharan, and Tehsildar Mini L Shekhar also welcomed devotees. The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust reaffirmed its commitment to enriching the Sanatan tradition and strengthening the spiritual heritage of Kashi through continued innovation and service. District magistrate Satyendra Kumar visited several major temples on Friday, including Shultankeshwar Temple, Bhimchandi, Rameshwar and Karmadeshwar Mahadev Temples, to assess arrangements for the Sawan month and ensure a smooth experience for devotees. He gave on-the-spot instructions to officers and stressed the importance of maintaining cleanliness, proper lighting, robust security, and health facilities at all major religious sites. "Devotees should not face any kind of problem during the Sawan month," he said, directing officials to ensure the best possible services are provided. The DM instructed the necessary cleaning of temple premises and nearby areas and called for the deployment of boats and divers along the banks of the Ganga for added safety. With the beginning of the auspicious month of Sawan and expected surge in Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, authorities have made significant traffic arrangements to ensure their safety and smooth movement. As part of the plan, the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway will operate as a one-way route while a route diversion for heavy vehicles comes into effect from Friday. Both the one-way system and diversions will remain in force until August 9, said officials. According to ACP (traffic) Kuldeep Singh, from July 11 to August 9, all traffic on the left lane of the Grand Trunk Road-from Jawahar Alopibagh Chungi in Prayagraj to the Bhiti border near Varanasi-will be completely restricted. "This step has been taken to accommodate the large number of Kanwariyas expected during the yatra," he added. Additionally, a special diversion originally planned for Monday, July 14, will now begin at 10 pm on July 12 and remain in effect until 10 pm on July 15, covering the first major Sawan Monday. As part of the safety measures, Shastri Bridge in Prayagraj will be completely closed to heavy vehicles and roadways buses for the next month. As a result, buses arriving from Varanasi will enter Prayagraj via Handia, Sahson and Phaphamau while buses from Jaunpur will follow the Phoolpur-Sahson-Phaphamau route. Likewise, goods vehicles involved in loading or unloading within city limits will use the Dhumanganj and Phaphamau corridors....