Bhubaneswar: Thousands thronged Shiva shrines across Odisha since early morning on Monday on the occasion of Mahashivratri. Many devotees have been observing fasts and waiting for the moment when Mahadeepas will be raised atop the Shiva temples.
Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar
The Mahadeepa will be raised at 10pm at the Lingaraj temple. Devotees who observe day-long fasts wait for this moment before breaking their fast.
Shri Lokanath Temple In Puri
Devotees can get a darshan of Lord Shiva at the Lokanath temple till late at night. Bhoga will 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.
Security has been tightened at different Shiva temples. For the smooth conduct of darshan, barricades have been set up at Lingaraj temple. As many as 22 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety and security of devotees. CCTV cameras have also been installed to keep a tab on devotees at Lingaraj temple. Elaborate security arrangements have been made at other temples, too, to avoid any untoward situations.
