Bhilwara/Dehradun: Two elderly sisters from Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district died after losing consciousness while taking repeated dips at Badrinath’s Tapt Kund (hot water spring) in Uttarakhand early Friday, police said.The deceased were identified as 71-year-old Ramu Devi, wife of Amarchand Sharma, a resident of Kabradiya village, and her sister, 63-year-old Prem Devi, wife of Madan Sharma, a resident of Data village.
Prem Devi
Badrinath SHO Mahadev Uniyal said, “The incident happened around 5 am when the two women along with three others, including a man, were taking the ritualistic holy dip in the hot water spring before heading to the shrine. While the man came out after a few dips, the four women continued to take repeated dips to complete the 108-dip ritual.”Uniyal added, “While taking the dips, Prem Devi and Ramu Devi fainted and collapsed in the water. They were immediately pulled out from the water by those present and taken to the nearest hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.” He said, “After completing legal formalities, the families took the bodies to Haridwar for last rites.”Vishnu Doliya, son-in-law of Ramu Devi, said a group of more than 100 devotees from Bhilwara district has been in Badrinath Dham since Sept 4 and was also attending a ‘katha’. “My mother-in-law Ramu Devi and her younger sister Premi Devi also reached to listen to the katha. Since Sept 4, both sisters had been continuously taking dips every morning in the mildly hot water kund, then having darshan of Lord Badrinath at the temple and listening to the katha,” Doliya said, adding that Pandit Suresh Shastri of Bhagwanpura village has been conducting the ‘Bhagwat Katha’ at Badrinath Dham since Sept 4.Doliya said four women devotees from the group went to the Tapt Kund Friday morning after taking a vow to complete 108 dips, during which Ramu Devi and Prem Devi became unconscious. He said the other women bathing at the kund, Bhagwati Devi and Sohni Devi, were fine.Prem Devi’s son-in-law, Sanwarlal Sharma, said the family was travelling to Uttarakhand after receiving the tragic news. “Both sisters’ last rites will be performed in Haridwar Saturday morning,” Sanwarlal said.
