Ganga jal offered

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 24

Devotees and kanwariyas offered holy Ganga jal at shivalingams on the pious occasion of Maha Shivratri today.

Devotees were seen lined up at ancient shrines of Shri Daksheshwar Mahadev, Kankhal, and Shri Bilkeshwar along with other Lord Shiva temples from the wee hours. They took a dip in the Ganga at Brahma Kund Har-ki-Pauri and then paid obeisance at the temples, anointing shivalingams with Ganga jal, milk, curd and bilb leaves.

Elaborate security, traffic and other arrangements were put in place by the district and police administration and temple committees for the festive occasion.

Other Lord Shiva temples, such as Neeleshwar, Jataleshwar, Gupteshwar, Til, Bhandeswar, Daridrabhanjan, Samudreshwar, Pashupathi Nath Mandir, Janvasah Mandir, Gauri-Shankar, Uddeshwar, Shiva Panchayati temple-BHEL Sector-1, Shiva-Parvati temple-Vivek Vihar, Shiva temple-Shivalik Nagar and Shiv Lok Temple, saw residents lining up in large numbers.

A special religious function was organised at Gayatri Teerth Shantikunj in which a devotional and musical presentation was also given by artistes. Spiritual ideologue Dr Pranav Pandya anointed shivalingams along with Shail Jiji, Shantikunj activists and Dev Sanskriti University students.