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Maha
Shivaratri celebrated
New
Delhi: Devotees across the country celebrated Mahashivaratri
on Monday. Thousands of devotees converged on the river
banks at Varanasi to take a holy dip in the Ganga. They
also made offerings of flowers, sweets and incense sticks
at the temples. "The occasion of Mahashivratri comes once
a year. On this day pilgrims from far off places come
here to take a holy dip and also give bath to Lord Shiva's
idol so that their prayers and wishes are fulfilled,"
said Ram Bharat Pandey, a Hindu priest, in Varanasi. In
Srinagar, the devotees thronged temples to pray for their
loved ones. A highlight of the Mahashivratri in Srinagar
was that even the Kashmiri Muslims participated in the
celebrations. "I am feeling very good. We all come together
to celebrate this occasion no matter whether there are
Muslims or Sikhs. When we meet the Kashmiri Pandits, they
give us walnuts to eat and we also hug each other. We
pray to God that every year we should celebrate our unity
and brotherhood in the same way and may this 'Shivratri'
bring peace and togetherness with it," said Mohammad Sarwar
Khan, a devotee. On the occasion, devotees in Moradabad,
Uttar Pradesh, dressing up as ghosts danced on the streets.
Curious onlookers dotted both sides of the streets to
view this Shiva Tandava Nritya.
Meanwhile,
the Government of Karnataka placed an order for 50, 000
litres of holy water (Gangajal) from the Ganga to be distributed
in Shiva temples across the state. The Government of Karnataka
ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was all set
to distribute the holy water on the day of Shivratri.
It also selected five major Shiva temples in each taluk
(sub division of a district) where ten litres of holy
water was to be dispatched for performing rituals and
also to distribute among the devotees. This was part of
Muzrai Minister Krishnaiah Shetty's initiative to make
this year's Shivaratri celebrations unique. "We have decided
to celebrate this festival significantly by way of performing
Abhishekam in all five temples in every Taluk of Karnataka,"
said Shetty, Minister of Muzrai Department. However, the
Congress believes that the BJP-ruled Government is trying
to gather votes in the upcoming elections through this.
"That's very good that they are giving the holy water
on this special occasion of Shivratri. I've never heard
like that," said Saurav Roy, a devotee.
Lord
Shiva is one of the trinity of Gods, along with Lord Brahma
and Lord Vishnu, in Hindu mythology. Devotees of Shiva
fast during the day and maintain a long vigil during the
night. On the day of Shivratri, the lingam is bathed with
the five sacred offerings of a cow, called panchagavya.
Thereafter, the five foods of immortality - milk, clarified
butter, curd, honey and sugar - are placed on the lingam.
Dhatura and jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed
to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temples.
Eleven is considered to be the sacred number of the Lord.
- Feb 23, 2009
