Bhubaneswar: The sacred occasion of Maha Shivaratri witnessed an overwhelming turnout of devotees at the historic Sri Lingaraj Temple here on Wednesday evening.
The highlight of the festivities was the grand ritual of raising the ‘Mahadeepa’ (a massive wicker oil lamp) atop the 11th-century shrine, which took place at 10:40 PM.
The atmosphere was charged with devotion and enthusiasm as the temple servitors began their ascent with the Mahadeepa at around 10:30 PM.
The air resonated with chants of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, ‘Har Har Mahadev’, and ‘Hari Bol’, accompanied by the sounds of ‘Hula Huli’ (ululation) from the sea of devotees.
Thousands of devotees, who had observed a day-long fast, patiently waited inside the temple complex for the culmination of the ritual before breaking their fast.
Outside the temple, a serpentine queue of devotees stretched over a kilometer as priests allowed ‘Sahan Mela’ (public darshan) following the completion of the ‘alati’ ritual.
The Commissionerate Police made extensive arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.
A robust security blanket was deployed around the temple premises, with 40 platoons of force and over 100 officers of various ranks stationed to prevent any untoward incidents.
The fervor of Maha Shivaratri was not confined to Bhubaneswar alone. Thousands of devotees flocked to prominent Shiva temples across Odisha, including the Lokanath Temple in Puri, Dhabaleswar Temple in Cuttack, Akhandalamani Temple in Aradi (Bhadrak), Kapilash Temple in Dhenkanal, Ladu Baba Temple in Nayagarh, Gupteswar in Koraput, Vedavyas in Rourkela, and Harishankar in Bolangir, to offer prayers and seek blessings on this auspicious night.
