Bhubaneswar/Puri: The lifting of the ceremonial ‘mahadeepa’ atop the Lingaraj Temple here, which marks the culmination of Maha Shivaratri was delayed by over three hours, as the ritual could only be completed well past midnight.
While the Mahadeepa was scheduled to be placed atop the 11th-century shrine at 10 pm, the ritual was conducted at 1.10 am following which many devotees broke their fast.
While the reason behind the delay was not immediately known, sources attributed it to differences between the nijogs over rituals. Brahmana nijog members, on the other hand, blamed the delay on the mismanagement of devotees’ movement into the shrine this morning.
At Loknath Temple in Puri, the ‘mahadeepa’ was raised at 5.30 am instead of the scheduled 4 am. All the temples were beautifully illuminated for the occasion.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva married Maa Shakti, his divine consort, for a second time on this night.
