Bhubaneswar: On the auspicious occasion of Yama Dwitiya, keeping with the age-old tradition Lord Lingaraj visited his sister Maa Kamakshya’s temple.
On Wednesday Lord Lingaraj first visited Yameshwar temple in an elegantly decorated palanquin escorted by the sevayats (temple servitors).
According to the puranas (holy scriptures), to keep the promise he had given to Lord Yama (the God of death), Lord Lingaraj visits Yameshwar temple accompanied by Maa Parvati, Devi Bhubaneswari and Shree Vasudev.
After conduct of alati ritual (arati) Lord Lingaraj enters the Jagamohana of the Yameshwar temple and after a bheta alati (meeting arati) with Yameshwar is completed he leaves for his sister Maa Kamakshya’s temple at the nearby Bharati mutt.
On his arrival at his sister’s place he was offered with sweets. And after the offering of sweets, Lord Lingaraj returns to his abode, Shree Lingaraj temple.
Overwhelmed devotees in hundreds lined the route to watch this unique ‘jatra’ of Lord Lingaraj.
As per legend, Yamraj’s sister Yamuna tried to get her brother to visit her on many occasions but Yamraj was unable to do so for a long time. When he finally met her, he was greeted with a grand ceremony, offered sweets and had the ceremonial tika placed on his forehead.
Being immensely pleased with the love and respect he was showered with, Yamraj gave Yamuna a boon and she in turn asked him to dedicate a day on which he would visit her house each year. Hence, the ritual of siblings visiting each other on this day began to honour the kinship between them.
