Shani Amavasya: Thousands offer prayers
by Ashok Pal

          Aiti (Morena): Hindu devotees visited the ancient Shani temple here in Aiti village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on the occasion of Shani Amavasya (the new moon day of Saturn). This year, the day held major significance since the day of Saturn fell on Saturday, a day devoted to "Shani", the Saturn God in India. Devotees from across across the country reached here to pay their homage at the " Shani Temple ", which is said to have been built by King Vikramaditya, regarded as one of the wisest rulers in India . At the famous temple, the devotees pay their homage with mustard oil and flowers and worship the five feet idol of "Shani" or, Saturn. Prior to performing pujas, one is required to take a dip in the holy pond in the premises of the temple. Later, the devotees also feed the poor. "Shani Amavasya" is considered an auspicious day for offering prayers to Saturn. It is believed that worshipping Saturn on this particular day ushers planetary peace. "The idol of Shani is very old. I have received peace and gained a lot by offering prayers here," said Sharad Chandra, one of the devotees visiting the temple from Bangalore . There was a good arrangement for the safety and security of the devotees here. "More than 50,000 devotees have already bathed and offered prayers. We are expecting more devotees. All facilities have also been made available for devotees," said Vijay Agarwal, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Morena. Saturn is narrated as Sun God's son in Hindu legends.
Feb 18, 2007

Nation celebrates Maha Shivratri with fervour

         New Delhi: Maha Shivratri is being celebrated all over the country. Devotees have been thronging Shiva temples since as early as 3.30 am to make offerings. Prayers and offerings at the Shiva temple on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway were a sight to relish where hundreds of litres of milk was being offered to Lord Shiva. "On Maha Shivratri We make offerings of fruits like bananas, ber, bel and its leaves, milk, flowers and sweets. The fast is for the fulfilment of one's wishes," said Anu Garg, a devotee at a Shiva temple here. "The occasion signifies the marriage of Lord Shiva with his consort goddess Parvati on this day. Young girls fast on this day to get good husbands. Actually, everybody fasts for the fulfilment of their wishes. Whatever one wants, he or she definitely gets, as the Lord definitely grants the wishes to those who worship and fast from their hearts," said Sudarshan, another devotee. The caretaker of the 17-year-old temple, Captain A K Sharma, said that devotees had started queuing up since 3.30 a.m. and the crowd was likely to increase as the day progresses. "We have made elaborate security arrangements also in tandem with the Delhi Police. This statue of Lord Shiva is 65 feet tall and is built by the B K Birla House," said Sharma. Adequate security arrangements have been made around the national capital for the festival. The occasion, which falls on the 14th day after the Full Moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun of the lunar calendar, is marked by day-long fasting, making offerings to Lord Shiva and prayers in temples.

          Kolkata/Ayodhya: Maha Shivaratri was celebrated across the country on Friday with great zeal and fervour. Devotees queued up at Shiv temples since dawn break to offer prayers. A large number of devotees visited the Shiva temple at Tarakeshwar in West Bengal's Hooghly District. Men dressed up as Lord Shiv - called 'Bahurupiyas' in the local parlance, also thronged the temple, 'blessing' people. "Today is Maha Shivaratri and we have come here to offer water and milk to Lord Shiva. When we see the Bahurupies dressed up as Lord Shiva, it feels great. It's as though the Lord himself has come down to earth to bless His devotees," said Pooja Goswami, a devotee. A 'Bahurupy' dresses up like Lord Shiva, complete with a synthetic snake around the neck and beating the damru (rattling drum) apart from carrying a kamandal (a tiny circular vessel like container with a spout) to carry the holy water. "This is a way of earning our livelihood. We have been doing this for generations. It's not just for Maha Shivaratri, but throughout the year. The devotees are more during Maha Shivratri, Shravan and during the Gajan mela. We earn the maximum then," said Kartik Ghosh, a Bahurupy dressed as Shiva. According to the priest of Tarakeshwar temple it is a sea of humanity on the day of Maha Shivaratri. " Maha Shivaratri is of great significance to Hindus. It's a day for worshipping Lord Shiva. Some believe it's the day Goddess Parvati received the blessing from the Lord for her meditation and the Lord agreed to be her husband, others believe it's the day Lord Shiva married Sati and local legends say it was the day when a hunter, who accidentally offered leaves of Bel tree to Shiva. Women worship Shiva on this day in the hope of getting the perfect husband, while men offer prayers hoping for absolution," said Sandeep Chakravorty, Priest, Tarakeshwar Temple. The devotees offer prayers and money to the 'live Shivas' who teem in and around Tarakeshwar. In Ayodhya, there was scramble of devotees in temples. In Tarakeswar temple in the town, the phallic representation of Shiva or 'Shivling', is believed to have been installed during the Hindu epic Ramayana-period. "The 'Shivling' submerged under water here is from the Lav-Kush (twin sons of God Ram). It is 2.1 million years old. Lav and Kush themselves installed the Shivlinga here," said Janardan Pujari, head priest, Tarkeshwar temple. Prayers and offerings at the Shiva temple on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway were a sight to relish where hundreds of litres of milk were being offered to the Lord Shiva. "We make offerings of fruits like bananas, ber, bel and its leaves, milk, flowers and sweets. The fast is for the fulfilment of one's wishes," said Anu Garg, a devotee at a Shiva temple. This day is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, one of the holy trinity of Hindu faith, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of Phalgun. It is widely believed that Shiva married Parvati on this day. Whether it's for a perfect husband or for the fulfilment of all their wishes, men and women observe daylong fast on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. The worship rituals are offering the belpatra (a tree with three stemmed leaves). It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi resides in belpatras.
Feb 16, 2007

Lord Jagannath in gold and silver coins

         Puri: Now devotees can have Lord Jagannath's medallions minted in gold and silver. Quest Net India , a subsidiary of the Hong Kong based direct marketing company, QI Group, has launched a series of specially crafted medallions at a function here. The limited edition coins, minted in Germany , bear the impressions of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra on one side, and carry an inscription mentioning the year of issue on the flip side. In the first phase, the Internet based marketing company has released 1,000 gold coins, each minted in 999.9 purity and weighing six grams, and 2,000 coins in 999 fine silver weighing one ounce (10 grams). Divya Singh, head priest of the Puri Jagannath temple said the "sole purpose was the promotion of Lord Jagannath Sanskruti". "Through the medallions a lot of people around the world will see Lord Jagannath and the temple, and will come to know about him...There is a royalty, which the company Quest India is paying as a donation to the temple fund," he said after releasing the coins. Only Hindus are allowed entry to the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century temple, which hosts an annual wooden chariot rally. "Lord Jagannath's is a famous temple in India . It is a very holy place and we would like the rest of the world to know more about Jagannath Puri. ... Foreigners are not allowed inside the temple. Let's hope we will be allowed inside the shrine someday. We are commemorating these coins so people around the world come to know more about Lord Jagannath," said Joseph Bismark, Director of QuestNet International. Puri's annual Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival is billed as the biggest in the world, and each year about a million devotees from India and abroad gather at the seaside resort to witness it. The Jagannath temple, about 60 kilometres from state capital Bhubaneswar , is one of the holiest places for the Hindus in India.
Feb 4, 2007

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