Bhubaneswar: Thousands of devotees assemble at the Lingaraj Temple every year on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri in Bhubaneswar of Odisha. While a lot of rituals get executed during the day-long observation of the festival, many devotees wait inside the temple premises to witness the raising of the Mahadipa atop the temple. After the ritual is performed, they break their day-long fast.
According to reports, the Mahadipa was lifted atop the Lingaraj Temple at 10.20 PM today. This ritual was scheduled for 10 PM.
Hundreds of devotees, who had gathered at the temple by following the COVID guideline, witnessed the raising of the Mahadipa atop the shrine.
Commissionerate Police had made special traffic and security arrangements for the smooth celebration of the festival.
Likewise, the temple administration also had made special arrangements to ensure hustle-free and timely conduct of all rituals during the festival.
It is to be noted here that the devotees were allowed inside the temple to take part in the rituals of Maha Shivratri after a gap of two years. In the last two years, people were not permitted to be part of the celebration in view of the COVID pandemic.
Kalinga AI