Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in the entire city on Tuesday. The devotees who had started thronging the temples since early morning paid obeisance to Lord Shiva throughout the day. They performed Jalabhishek while the temples were resonating with the chants of Har Har Mahadev. According to SP Satyendra Kumar Shukla around 4.5 lakh devotees had visited till 10.30 pm.
However, chaos prevailed in the morning, due to the large crowd as the devotees had reached the city in the night itself.
The doors of Mahakaleshwar Temple were opened at 3:00 am and the abhishek of Baba Mahakal was performed first followed by an adorable decoration of Lord. On the other hand, the devotees had queued from 2:00 am outside the temple. After about 44 hours of continuous darshan of the presiding deity, the doors of the temple will be closed after Shayan Aarti at 11 pm on Wednesday.
Baba Mahakal was prepared as a groom with sehra (headgear) embellished with flowers and fruits Tuesday midnight. The devotees can take darshan of the sehra on Wednesday. The Bhasma Aarti performed once a year will be held at 12:00 noon.
However, chaos had prevailed among the devotees as soon as the doors of the temple were opened. Many devotees fell in the struggle to have an early darshan. Metal detectors installed for checking and some barricades also collapsed. Meanwhile, police managed the crowd and advised people not to rush.
The temple administration has made necessary arrangements for the devotees including a safe drinking water facility. Prasad of Khichdi and fruits were also distributed among the devotees. The temple administration had to prohibit the entry of devotees in Ganesh Mandapam due to the huge crowd on the premises. The entry was closed for half an hour and later resumed after the intervention of MP Anil Firozia.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with his wife performed worship of the Mahakal Jyotirlingam while sitting near Nandiji. Cabinet Ministers Jagdish Deora and Mohan Yadav and MP Anil Firojia were also present. Before seeing a presentation about the Mahakaleshwar Temple Expansion Plan at Triveni Museum, the CM also visited various spots to see the ongoing construction works.
The other Shiva temples across the city were also decorated with flowers and lights. Thandai and Khichdi were distributed at several places. A huge crowd of devotees was also observed at the Trilokeshwar Mahadev Temple at Freeganj.
Meaning and significance of “Mahashiv-ratri”
“Ratri means the time between sunset and sunrise. Mahashivratri is the night when the 12 jyotirlingams materialised on Indian land.
The whole of our living and non-living existence is due to the dissolution of Naad and Bindu. Rudra and Shakti amalgamated on this very night, resulting in a cosmic phenomenon known as Rudrayamal. Rudra means Shiva and his divine resonance with Shakti as Maithun that is Yamal. The whole creation is a result of this Rudrayamal. The Equinox and the importance of Mahashivratri: the darkest and longest night. Equinox is traditionally defined as the time when the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the geometric centre of the Sun’s disk. This occurs twice each year, around March 20 and September 23. In other words, it is the moment at which the centre of the visible Sun is directly above the equator. This night is vital for yogis like us and even common people because if they meditate, their energy gets perfectly balanced and moves upwards to Brahmarandra. Ardhanareeshwar Shiva balanced his masculine and feminine instincts this night symbolizing complete harmony. For Shant Advait ashram disciples we are going to do overnight meditation for balancing fierce energies for world peace.”—AS TOLD TO FREE PRESS BY JUNA AKHARA MAHAMANDLESHWAR SWAMI SHAILESHNAND GIRI MAHARAJ.
