Bhubaneswar: With a day left for the Maha Shivaratri, the Lingaraj temple administration has made elaborate arrangement for the smooth conduct of the festivity.
The temple administration has already fixed 10 pm on Friday for raising the mahadeepa atop the temple following which the devotees can break their fast.
With an aim to make the gala affair an incident-free one, the temple administration held a meeting yesterday. Emphasis was laid on the timely completion of all the rituals related to Maha Shivaratri during the meeting.
The temple administration has left no stone unturned in decking up the 11th-century shrine while city police have deployed forces to regulate the crowd on the day.
Brahman Nijog President Biranchi Narayan Pati said, “With everyone’s cooperation, mahadeep will be lifted atop the temple on time.”
Besides, police have come up with a control room and adequate parking facilities for hassle-free movement of devotees. Meanwhile, traffic in the Old Town area has been regulated in view of the rush of devotees.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with adequate facilities, including mobile toilets and drinking water facilities for devotees in and around the Lingaraj Temple.
While the temple will open at 3.30am for ‘alati’ and ‘abakash’ of the presiding deity, public darshan will be allowed from 4 am
It is learnt that Ekamra Prakashini will hold Bhajan Samaroh programme on the temple premises. Eminent playback singer Anuradha Paudwal among other singers will be part of the programme.
While the temple has been decorated and illuminated for the festival, the BMC has cleaned the area surrounding the temple for parking vehicles and a congregation of devotees.
