Shimla, Dec 30 (IANS) In a first-of-its-kind, the Himachal Pradesh government will hold a 'maha aarti' of the Beas river on January 1 to spread a message on the need for protection of rivers, an official said on Sunday.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will preside over the 'Beas maha aarti' in Kullu town, he said.

On the occasion, 121 priests have been invited to perform rituals on the pattern of Ganga aarti, the daily evening prayer at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar which sees hundreds of devotees throng the banks of the Ganges river.

"Diyas of clay or flour and leaf plates would only be used during the 'aarti' that will start at 5 p.m.," Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus Khan, the event organiser, told IANS.

Himachal Pradesh is home to rivers like Ravi, Beas, Chenab and Satluj. Except Satluj, which originates in Tibet, rest all traces their origin to the lower Himalayas.

--IANS vg/pgh/sed