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| Maha Shiv Ratri celebrated with religious fervour | | | Munish Gupta
JAMMU, Feb 23
Even the rain in the early morning and day time has not dampen the spirits of the devotees started crowding the temples to offer prayers, milk, flowers, fruit and incense to the Shivlingam right from the wee hours. The chants like "Har Har Mahadev" Bam Bam Bole, Om Namoh Shivai in praise of Lord Shiva, reverberated the premises of the temples.
Maha Shiv Ratri—the great night of Lord Shiva—was celebrated as most important and auspicious festival by the Hindus all over Jammu and Kashmir in particular with devotion and religious fervour.
Generally every 14th day of the dark fortnight is called Shiv Ratri. But the one that falls in the dark fortnight is known as Maha Shiv Ratri since the Jyotir Lingam is said to have appeared on the earth at midnight to remove darkness and ignorance from the planet.
Maha Shivratri—a very extra ordinary and auspicious night— was celebrated as a great divine birth night of the God Shiva as a radiant light of all lights.
All the temples were flocked with devotees, but there was a heavy rush at Ranbirashveer Temple at Parade, Aap Shamboo at Roop Nagar and Shiv Khori Temple at Circular Road in Jammu.
At Ranbireshwar temple, popularly know as Shivalay Mandir, special prayers were organized. Even before opening of the temple at early morning, devotees were thronged outside with milk and flowers in their hands to offer Rudrabishak. As this temple every year witnessed heavy rush of devotees, authorities have made elaborate security
Before the dawn, hundreds of devotees were seen standing in the queues outside holy cave of Peer Kho temple to offer Jal Abishaik also known as Rudrabishaik to the natural Lingam of Lord Shiva. Devotees had to wait for three long hours to get their turn to perform Jal Abshaisk. Keeping in view the heavy rush of devotees in the cave, authorities have made elaborate arrangements. Barricades were erected to control rush of the devotees in the cave.
Similar was the situation at Aap Shambu temple of Roop Nagar where hundreds of devotees thronged to perform Jal Abishak.
All the temples were tastefully decorated as shopkeepers and residents at different places had erected welcome gates and banners to welcome thousands and thousands of enthusiastic devotees who were chanting Har Har Mahadev and Om Namo Shivay.
The City of Temples virtually was gripped with religious fervour with devotees with Jal, flowers and Bil Patri in hands, were seen moving towards temples to offer Jalabhishekh throughout the day. Havan ceremonies were also performed in almost all the temples wherein unprecedented rush of the devotees was witnessed.
Strict security arrangements were also made for the smooth and peaceful celebrations of the Shiv Ratri. There was hardly any temple which was not under the strict vigil of the security personnel and each and everyone entering the temples was being frisked.
Not only in the temples, were even the surrounding areas under the strict vigil of the policemen to prevent the entry of any anti-social element in the temples.
A large number of devotees also took a holy dip in the River Tawi which is also known as Suraj Putri, at Har-ki-Pouri while as a huge rush of the devotees was witnessed at Utterbehni and Purmandal, where they had holy dip on the auspicious occasion.
Moreover at various places, langers were also organised by the shopkeepers and other religious minded
Besides the Shivratri was also celebrated with traditional religious fervour by the displaced Kashmiri Pandits also. The Pooja and night long Bhajan Kertan in praise of Lord Shiva were held in every KP family during the intervening night.
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