Varanasi hot air balloon festival begins; visitors thrilled to catch aerial view of city

UPDATE

The video shared by ANI from the 3-day hot air balloon festival in Varanasi came as a spectacular visual treat as scores of people including children enjoying the thrilling hot air balloon ride at a height of around 1,000 feet looked like a blue sky full of colourful bubbles popping up. Watch the video here -

From November 17 to 19, a hot air balloon event will be held in Kashi, where visitors will be able to fly up to 1,000 feet and enjoy spectacular views of the area. Thirty passengers will be able to travel up to 1,000 feet in a single balloon. Through these balloons, they would be able to see stunning vistas of Varanasi.

According to District Commissioner Deepak Agrawal, the Tourism Department has set the admission price at Rs 500 per individual. Around Varanasi, four facilities for taking off and landing balloons have been erected. Stations for flying balloons have been established at Domri, CHS Sports Ground, BLW Sports Ground, and Sigra Stadium.

Varanasi hot air balloon event in Kashi from November 17

Giving information about the event, Varanasi District Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, "Eleven hot air balloons will be part of the event. It is a promotional event. Efforts are on to turn it into a regular event in Kashi."

The balloons will be flown by 8 pilots, 7 of them are foreigners. According to Agrawal, balloons will take flight for 45 minutes in the morning. ATC will be in charge of the balloons while they are in flight. The four stations are to operate as per his directions to fly safely and in unison.

Varanasi holds 'Kashi Utsav' to promote heritage and culture

Meanwhile, from November 16 to 18, the Rudheraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre in Varanasi is hosting the 'Kashi Utsav'. According to the Official Statement, this is to commemorate Kashi's classic heritage and culture, particularly the centuries-old luminaries Goswami Tulsidas, Sant Kabir, Sant Raidas, Bhartendu Harishchandra, Munshi Premchand, and Jaishankar Prasad. The event is being hosted by the IGNCA on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh State Government and the Varanasi Administration, as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,' a Government of India initiative to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India, according to a press release from the Union Ministry of Culture.

Each day of the event has a different theme, such as 'Kashi ke Hastakshar,' 'Kabir, Raidas ki Bani aur Nirgun Kashi,' and 'Kavita aur Kahani - Kashi ki Zubani'. Panel discussions, exhibitions, film screenings, music, theatre, and dance performances will highlight these Kashi characters. The event will feature performances by well-known artists. On the last day, Manoj Tiwari, Member of Parliament, would give a musical presentation on 'Tulsi ki Kashi.' Kalapini Komkali, Bhuvanesh Komkali, Padma Shri Bharti Bandhu, and Maithili Thakur are among the artists performing devotional performances at the festival. Vyomesh Shukla of Varanasi directed the play, according to the official release.

With inputs from ANI

(IMAGE: UNSPLASH)