Kanwariyas and devotees gather at various Shiva temples in Odisha to observe last Monday of holy Shravan month
Bhubaneswar: A huge crowd of Kanwariyas and devotees were seen at various Shiva temples across Odisha to observe last Monday of the holy month of Shravan.
In a spiritual gathering of devotion and tradition, devotees participated in a significant ritual at the renowned Shree Loknath Temple in Puri on the occasion of last Monday of the Shravan month.
To make sure everyone was safe and comfortable, the organisers made arrangements for water, basic medical help, and resting places. Devotees first paid their respects at the temple’s main entrance before heading inside to offer their prayers.
The chants of Shiva mantras and ‘har har shambhu’ were being heard across all the important Shiva temples in Odisha. Special arrangements have been made for the rituals and crowd management at Lingaraj temple for Shravan Monday.
According to the rules of the holy Shravan month, the temple opened at 3 am in the morning following which ‘Mangal Alati’ took place at 3.30 am and ‘Abakasa Niti’ at 4 am.
The famous Baba Akhandalamani temple of Lord Shiva in Bhadrak district of Odisha was seen to be very crowded. Barricades were erected to manage the crowd. Serpentine queues were see in front of the temple since 4 am.
There were first aid and mobile medical units on the streets to ensure safety of the kanwariyas. ODRAF and firefighting units have been deployed at water lifting points near different rivers.
Thousands of Kanwariyas thronged various ghats to observe shravan in Odisha and to collect water from different rivers. The Bolbom Devotees will offer water to Lord Shiva across Odisha on the last Monday of the Holy month of Shravan.
The Kanwariyas after taking dip at the river, collect water holding the Bahungis (two water full pots hanging on both the sides) and began their journey towards Lord Shiva shrines in Dhabaleswar, Sidheswar, Kapilas, Lingaraj Temple, Gorakhnath Temple, Aradi.
The last Monday of the Shravan month holds great significance, with devotees observing a day-long fast in devotion to the Lord. They offer fruits and milk products as Prasad to the Lord and later partake in them after performing the sacred Abhishek ritual.