Bhubaneswar: The auspicious ‘Mahadeep’ will be lifted atop the Shri Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar at 10 PM on the occasion of ‘Maha Shivratri’ on February 18. The decision was taken at a crucial meeting of the coordination committee for the ‘Maha Shivratri’ festival at Circuit House in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
District Collector, mayor, deputy collector, ACP and temple executive officers were present in the meeting.
Like the previous year, the temple will be opened at 3 am and the various rituals for the auspicious day will begin. The family of Sevayats can come through the north door for darshan between 4 am and 5 am.
Similarly, devotees with passes will be allowed to visit the temple for darshan through this door. The Tirtha water will be brought from Bindu Sagar to perform puja rituals. For this, Mauni Ghat will be cleaned and decorated with various beautiful lights. At the appointed time by the attendants, the Nitti will be completed and the Mahadeep will be lit at exactly 10:00 PM.
A temporary information center will be opened to assist devotees. Similarly, to protect the devotees from the scorching heat, water will be sprinkled by volunteers with the help of spray machines along with adequate drinking water system.
‘Maha Shivratri’ is celebrated on the Chaturdashi Tithi of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Falgun. During this auspicious day devotees observe fast and take food next day. They can consume fruits and milk during the fast.
Devotees take second bath in the evening before performing the puja of Lord Shiva. The puja should be done during night and devotees should break the fast next day after taking bath.
Ms Kalinga