Maha Shivaratri: Thousands devotees converge at 3 Jyotirlinga temples

Aurangabad: The Marathwada region of Maharashtra on Saturday is celebrating Maha Shivaratri with traditional religious fervour and sacred offerings are being extended to Lord Shiva.

In this city of Aurangabad, fasting devotees poured in large numbers at the Shiva Temple located in the Khadkeshwar locality.

Following prescribed rituals, women devotees performed poojas with wood apple, commonly known as bael leaves since early morning on today.Thousands of people marched to Grishneshwar temple located in Ellora, a city 35 km away from this district.

Located barely a kilometer away from the Ellora Caves–a UNESCO World Heritage site,the Grishneshwar temple holds extreme religious significance as it is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples in India.

Large number of devotees converged at the two other Jyotirlinga temples of the region- Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath-which are located in the districts of Beed and Hingoli respectively.Elaborate security arrangements were put in place across the region of Marathwada to avert any untoward incident.

Devotees in large number throng Shiva temples in Odisha

Devotees in large numbers thronged shiva shrines across Odisha to offer prayers on occasion of Mahashivratri on Saturday.Long queues were seen in front of Lingaraj temple, Bhubaneswar, Loknath temple, Puri, Kapileshwar temple at Kapilash in Dhenkanal district,Akhandalamani temple in Bhadrak district and Dhaneshwar temple in Cuttack since early hours on Saturday.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around these temples for the smooth conduct of the devotees to the temple and the celebration of the Mahashiv ratri.Commissionerate of Police sources here said as many as 32 platoons forces have been deployed around Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar . As many as 11 Additional SPs, 11 ACPs, 19. Inspectors and 80 SI and ASIs have also been deployed .

CCTV has been installed at strategic locations to monitor the movement of the devotees.

In the evening Bhajan Sandhya’s have been organised in front of several Shiva temples in the state.Around 30 eminent singers are scheduled to perform programmes in front of Lingaraj temple here .

Police have diverted traffic for the smooth movement of vehicles. Lingraj Temple sources said the “Mahadip” will be lifted at 10 PM tonight.

Similarly, traffic has been tightened around the Dhabaleswar temple where the devotees have been barred from using the hanging bridge and boats to reach the temple.Instead, a temporary road was laid in the river Mahanadi for the smooth movement of devotees to the shrine.

Mahashivratri being celebrated with religious fervour in Telangana

Hyderabad: The festival of Mahashivratri is being celebrated across Telangana with religious fervour and gaiety on Saturday.Devout Hindus, many of them observing fast, thronged Siva temples since dawn in the state and offered special Abhishekams, Archanas and Rudrabhishekams to Lord Siva.

A sea of humanity was seen at the famous Siva temples including at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple in Vemulawada and Ramalingeswara Swamy temple in Keesaragutta in Telangana.

Devotees will participate in "Maha Jagaran" (staying awake the whole night) organised by the social and religious bodies tonight and participate in bhajans and puja programmes.

Shops selling fruits and flowers did brisk business in view of the festival.

Authorities made elaborate arrangements at major Siva shrines in the state for the benefit of devotees.

In a message, Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan said Mahashivratri, the night of wakefulness, signifies as the Night of Awakening.

It is one of the most important festivals for the millions of devotees of the most compassionate god “Lord Shiva”, she said.

The Mahashivratri, which is believed to have cosmic importance, is observed with fervor and devotion, the Governor said.

She said “ May this auspicious occasion inspire noble thoughts of love, affection, amity, and brotherhood in all of us”.“I once again convey my warm greetings to all the people on this auspicious occasion”, Soundararajan added.(UNI)