Lucknow: Divine chants, jalabhisheks mark Mahashivaratri

LUCKNOW: Amid chiming of bells and divine chants of Om Namah Shivay and Bol Bam, it was the second round Priyanka Sharma made to the Mankameshwar Temple on Monday. An ardent follower of Lord Shiva, considered to be the God of the Gods, she brought her whole family this time to Mankameshwar, one of the most visited temples in the city during Mahashivaratri.

"I came to offer milk early in the morning and now I am here to offer prayers with my family," said Priyanka.


Chanting Om Namah Shivaya and holding a basket full of flowers, hundreds of enthusiastic Shiva devotees formed serpentine queues at the temple and waited patiently for hours to offer jalabhishek to Shivalingas on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. Themed on patriotic lines this year, Hindustan ki jai ho also resonated through the streets outside the temple.

Long queues were seen at various shrines since the break of the dawn. Devotees were seen offering bael leaves, milk and honey to Shivlings and chant the name of Lord Shiva.

A man performs a daredevil stunt during 'Shiv Baraat' on the occasion of Mahashivaratri on Monday.

Fifty six devoted families offered mahabhishek in the wee hours at the Shivalaya-Dwadesh Jyotirling Dham in Sadar. "These families have been closely associated with the temple for several many years, because of whom we are able to maintain the heritage of our temple and celebrate this auspicious day on a large scale," said Alok Singhal, one of the temple community members. The temple was scented by the sweet fragrance of marigold flowers which the devotees offerred to 12 Jyotirlingas. Another attraction at the temple was the Ganga aarti performed by a priest of Varanasi.

"This year, Mahashivaratri has attained more significance as it has fallen on Monday, a day dedicated to the worship Lord Shiva. While unmarried women pray for an ideal husband like Lord Shiva, married ones pray for the long life of their husbands on this day," said Tanisha Dubey, a resident of Sadar.

Devotees also thronged other temples such as Hanuman Setu and Buddheshwar temple. Throwing light on why this auspicious day is celebrated, Shalini Tripathi, a resident of Nishatganj, said, "The festival has many legends associated with it, but what I've heard is that it was on this day that Mahadev performed tandava, a vigorous dance that is the source of preservation and destruction. One other popular belief is that Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati on this day."

Temples were also packed with young crowd which was captivated by the power of Lord Shiva. "Being an atheist, I never participated in any religious activity. Only after reading a trilogy on Lord Shiva, I found him an inspiration. I'll come back again in the evening for maha aarti," said Pranav, a student of Lucknow University.