Krishna Pandey starts her journey from Sultanganj market in Bhagalpur on Sunday. Picture by Amit Kumar

The arrival of Krishna Pandey, alias Krishna bum, at Sultanganj on Sunday to collect water from the Ganga evoked fervour among hundreds of devotees who had gathered on the riverbanks.

Pandey, 59, collected the water at 2.30pm. Being a dak bum kanwariya, she would run without a stop to reach the temple of Lord Baidyanath in Deoghar, Jharkhand, and pour the water on the Shiva shrine by 9.30am on Monday. She has been performing the pilgrimage during the month-long Shravani Mela for 30 years.

On Sunday, her arrival almost sparked a mad rush among the kanwariyas eager to touch her feet, much to the concern of the administrative officials. “Look, she is like a goddess. She has the special blessing of Mahadeva (an incarnation of Shiva). If we touch her feet, our lives would be changed,” said Dhrupadia Devi, a devotee from Ara.

A special escort team of 41 security personnel has been arranged to protect her from the mob. But they were helpless to ward off the devotees. A gentle word from the religious leader, however, pacified the devotees.

“Don’t create problems,” Krishna, the principal of Chalkwari Government Middle School, Muzaffarpur, told the frenzied devotees. “We are all going to Lord Baidyanath. Concentrate on your journey and not on me. I am like you — a human being made of bones and flesh.”

Her words calmed the devotees, but did not cool off their devotion. Many of them believe that the gods have specially blessed the woman. Pandey, however, is humble in her devotion. “I am a simple woman. I don’t have any powers. I have been enjoying the love and respect of people thanks to Lord Baidyanath’s grace,” she said.

Her son Mukesh accompanies her on the pilgrimage, besides the team of commandos. They will run with her to the Lord Baidyanath’s temple in Deoghar, where she has the privilege to enter the shrine without standing in a queue. Then, they would escort her to Jasidih railway station, where she would board a train to Muzaffarpur.

Asked why she was originally inspired to undertake the arduous pilgrimage, Pandey said: “My husband Nand Kishore Pandey, who works in a private construction company, suffered from serious health problems 31 years ago. I prayed for his recovery and started visiting Lord Baidyanath’s temple every Monday during Shravan.”

Pandey added: “I shall continue to do this as long as I am alive.”