Mahashivratri Celebrated with Fervour Across India, Lakhs Offer Prayers at Major Shiva Temples

Mahashivratri was observed with deep devotion and spiritual energy across the country as lakhs of devotees gathered at prominent Shiva temples from the early hours of Sunday. Long queues, special rituals, night-long prayers and holy dips marked the sacred occasion, with authorities putting in place elaborate security and crowd management measures to ensure smooth darshan.

In Jharkhand, devotees thronged the revered Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Since early morning, worshippers stood patiently in long lines to offer prayers.

A priest said the festival falls on the 13th day of Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi and commemorates the divine wedding of Baba Baidyanath and Mata Parvati. He added that the grand night procession at Baidyanath Dham draws lakhs of devotees every year.

In Maharashtra, large crowds gathered at the historic Aundha Nagnath Temple to seek darshan of Lord Nageshwar and participate in special rituals conducted on the occasion.

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, devotees assembled in huge numbers at the Sangam ghats in Prayagraj for the final bathing day of the Magh Mela, which coincided with Mahashivratri. Magh Mela Officer Rishi Raj said nearly 10 lakh devotees had taken the holy dip since the previous night.

Devotees also flocked to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi for Baba Vishwanath’s darshan. One devotee said they arrived at midnight and were able to complete darshan between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

DCP Gaurav Banswal said lakhs of devotees had reached the city and that arrangements were made to facilitate orderly darshan. Barricades were installed along the ghats and monitoring was carried out from boats to manage the crowd.

Officials in Varanasi said special supervision was in place to prevent inconvenience to devotees. SDM Shambhu Sharan noted that since early morning, people had been standing in long queues in the temple courtyard to offer prayers.

In Madhya Pradesh, the sacred Bhasma Aarti was performed at the renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple amid chants and rituals. A priest said celebrations of Shiv Navratri and Mahashivratri were being observed with great devotion in the temple premises.

At Raisen Fort, Tehsildar Bharat Mandare said the gates of the Someshwar and Mahadev temples were opened at 6 a.m. under administrative supervision to ensure smooth darshan. He said extensive arrangements were made to manage the turnout and avoid inconvenience.

In Rajasthan, a large number of devotees visited the Saipau Mahadev Temple to offer prayers on the occasion.

Mahashivratri, one of the most significant Hindu festivals, is observed to honour Lord Shiva and mark the divine union of Shiva and Parvati. Across states, the festival was celebrated with devotion, disciplined crowd management and a strong spirit of faith as devotees marked the sacred night of Mahashivratri. – IANS