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| CM Adityanath leads Mahashivratri celebrations in UP | | |  agencies
LUCKNOW, Feb 18: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath prayed for people's welfare and prosperity as he performed Lord Shiva's 'Rudrabhishek' at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur during Mahashivratri on Saturday.
The festival was celebrated with great pomp across the state with devotees thronging temples to offer prayers to Lord Shiva and seek blessings.
On his part, the chief minister performed 'Rudrabhishek' in the Shakti Mandir on the Gorakhnath Temple's first floor. He also performed 'havan' and 'aarti' and prayed for the wellbeing of the entire world, a statement said.
He also paid obeisance to Lord Nandi and performed 'jalabhishek' of Lord Shiva.
Guru Gorakhnath is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva in the Nath sect, which considers Mahashivratri as a very important occasion.
The chief minister visited various temples in the district from 7.00 am to 2.45 pm, offering prayers. After completing the rituals at Gorakhnath Temple, Adityanath visited the ancient Mansarovar Shiva Temple at Andhiyari Bagh, Mukteshwarnath Temple at Rajghat and Jharkhandi Mahadev Temple at Jharkhandi.
During his tour, he instructed officials to make necessary preparations for the security, order and convenience of devotees.
After offering prayers at the historic Mansarovar temple, Adityanath blessed children and gave them 'prasad'. In the afternoon, he performed 'jalabhishek' at the Piteshwarnath temple in Gorakhpur's Bharohiya block.
In Kashi -- the city of Lord Vishwanath -- devotees queued at various temples to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva.
At the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, devotees queued since Friday night to have a "darshan".
Kashi Vishwanath Temple CEO Sunil Verma said the shrine witnessed more than five lakh devotees till noon.
The theme of Shiva Baraat -- the procession of Lord Vishwanath -- this year is G20.
Dilip Kumar Singh, the baraat's chief organiser, said the procession started at 7.30 am would conclude with the Jaimala ceremony at midnight.
About a hundred tableaux led the five lakh devotees in the procession, which also included several animals, snake charmers, drummers, sages, poets, professors and writers.
Musicians, writers, Bhojpuri stars and artistes from abroad also took part, Singh said.
In Barabanki, around five lakh devotees gathered for 'jalabhishek' at the Mahabharata-period Lodheshwar Mahadev Temple in Ramnagar tehsil, an official said.
Devotees also visited the district's other shrines, including the Nageshwar Nath Temple, Kunteshwar Mahadev, Ausaneshwar Mahadev of Haidergarh, Matheshwar Mahadev of Mati, Kailash Ashram, Siddheshwar Mahadev of Siddhaur, Bhagauli Tirtha of Fatehpur and Mahadev Talab.
In Budaun, the Gauri Shankar Mahadev Temple, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Birua Bari Mahadev Temple, Harprasad Mahadev Temple, Nawab Naubat Rai Temple and the Nagla Shaktipeeth were teeming with devotees since early morning for the 'jalabhishek'.
Thousands also prayed at the Shiv Temple in Patna, around 50 kilometers from the Shahjahanpur district headquarters. A large number of devotees offered prayers at the Sunasir Nath Shiv Temple in Banda and others, offering 'baelpatra' (wood apple leaves), 'dhatura' (moonflower) and 'bael' (wood apple).
Mahashivaratri was also celebrated with great pomp in Baghpat district.
A crowd of devotees and 'kanwariyas' arrived early in the morning to perform the 'jalabhishek' of Lord Ashutosh at the historic Pura Mahadev Temple.
Water from the Ganga in Haridwar was used to perform 'jalabhishek' by the kanwariyas from Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
In Bulandshahr district, a huge crowd thronged the Dwadash Maha Lingeshwar Siddha Mahapeeth, home to 12 'Jyotirlingas', in Gangerwa village. |
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