Bhubaneswar: Devotees flocked to Lingaraj Temple here on Monday evening on the occasion of Mahashivratri to witness the ‘Mahadeepa’, which was raised atop the shrine half an hour before schedule (10 pm) this year.
The devotees broke their fast after this final ritual.The temple administration had made special arrangements for smooth and timely conduct of all rituals.
To ensure incident-free festival, the Commissionerate Police had made special traffic and security arrangements. As many as 22 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety and security of devotees. CCTV cameras were also installed to keep a tab on them.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made at other temples across Odisha to avoid any untoward situations. ‘Mahadeepa’ raising schedule at some of the shrines:
Shri Lokanath Temple In Puri
Devotees can get a darshan of Lord Shiva at the Lokanath temple till late at night. Bhogawill be offered to the deity between 2-3 am. The Mahadeepa will be raised atop the temple at 3am.
Kapilash in Dhenkanal
Thousand have thronged the Shiva shrine at Kapilas for a darshan of Lord Chandrasekhar. The Mangala Alati ritual was conducted here around 4am on Monday. The Surya Puja and Ballabha Bhoga rituals were performed at 7am in the morning. Sakala Dhupa ritual was performed at 9am. Maharudrabhisekha will be performed at 2am on Tuesday and Mahadeepa raised atop the temple at 3.50am.
Dhabaleswar Temple in Athagarh
The Mahadeepa will be raised atop the temple at 4am on Tuesday.
Akhandalamani Temple, Aradi, in Bhadrak
Thousand of devotees have also thronged the Akhandalamani Temple in Bhadrak.
The Sahanamela ritual was performed at 4am on Monday and then darshan began. The Mahadeepa will be raised here at 4am on Tuesday.
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