Festive rush: Massive traffic snarls grip Delhi-NCR on Dhanteras as shoppers throng markets

The national capital turned into an endless sea of glowing red tail-lights on Friday evening as unprecedented festive crowds brought vehicular movement to a grinding halt, triggering chaotic, kilometres-long bumper-to-bumper snarls across virtually every major artery of Delhi-NCR on the occasion of Dhanteras.

The national capital turned into an endless sea of glowing red tail-lights on Friday evening as unprecedented festive crowds brought vehicular movement to a grinding halt, triggering chaotic, kilometres-long bumper-to-bumper snarls across virtually every major artery of Delhi-NCR on the occasion of Dhanteras. Marking the official kickoff of the Diwali festivities, lakhs of eager shoppers descended onto streets and commercial hubs to purchase gold, utensils, and electronics, completely overwhelming the city's road infrastructure and leaving motorists stranded for hours in deafening honks and crawling traffic.

Visuals from across the metropolis showed chaotic scenes with prominent commercial epicentres, including Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Anand Vihar, Khichripur, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, and Ghazipur Highway, South Extension, bursting at the seams, while arterial stretches like the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, ITO, DND Flyway, and the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway turned into virtual parking lots. Today Dhanteras is being celebrated in several parts of the country, which marks the first day of Diwali celebrations.

Gold and silver jewellery, utensils, kitchenware, vehicles, clothing, electronics, and more witness substantial sales. Notably, the purchase of brooms is considered particularly auspicious. People from across the country are celebrating Dhanteras with full gusto and fervour.

Dhanteras is one of the major Hindu festivals, which is celebrated across the country with immense happiness and enthusiasm. Dhanteras is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali. It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin or Kartika.

Dhanteras, dedicated to worshipping Siddhi Vinayak Ganesh Ji, Goddess of Wealth Mahalakshmi Ji, and Kuber Ji, marks an auspicious day for new purchases. Dhanvantari is also worshipped on the occasion of Dhanteras; she is considered the god of Ayurveda who imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the betterment of mankind and to help rid it of the suffering of disease. (ANI)