Bhubaneswar: ‘Abhada’ (cooked prasad) of Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar will be available from 9 am from December 16.
The Lingaraj temple administration took this decision in view of huge rush of devotees during the tourist season. The facility will be available for one month. Besides, the timing of the rituals has been rescheduled for next one month, temple sources said.
As per the revised schedule, ‘Mangal Arati’ will be performed at 5 am, ‘Homa’ at 5.30 am, ‘Mahasnan’ of the Lord at 6 am, ‘Sakala Dhupa’ at 7 am. The temple will be opened to the devotees for ‘Sahanamela darshan’ from 9 am to 2 pm.
While the ‘Abhada’ is usually made available for devotees at Ananta Vasudeva temple, the special arrangement for early ‘Abhada’ from 9 am has been made on Lingaraj temple premises, the sources said.
Since the ‘Sahanmela darshan’ will be open for a longer duration, the rush for ‘Abhada’ is expected to rise further. After ‘Sakala Dhupa’ or morning offering to the Lord, ‘Abhada’ will be available for the devotees, said servitor Gopal Mukadam.
Besides, schedule of the special rituals on the auspicious ‘Dhanu Sankranti’ day has been finalied. The temple administration has intimated the revised schedules to different ‘Niyogas’.
The facelift and beautification drive around the ancient Shiva shrine have attracted more tourists in recent times. In the last two months, the average daily footfall of devotes at the temple was around 3,500. This month, it has gone up to 8,000, which is likely to increase further.
The devotees and tourists are impressed with the beautification drive around the 11th century shrine. The facelift of other nearby temples too have earned praise of the visitors. The musical fountain near holy tank Bindu Sagar has been a centre of attraction for the tourists.
The Lingaraj temple administration has sought cooperation of the servitors and the local administration to manage the huge tourist turnouts to the shrine in next month, sources added.
It may be noted that the Lingaraj temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar. The central tower of the temple is 180 feet or 55 metre high. The temple represents the quintessence of the Kalinga architecture and culminating the medieval stages of the architectural tradition. The temple is believed to be built by the kings of Somavansi dynasty with later additions by the Ganga rulers.
