Mahashivratri celebrated with religious fervour across Amritsar

A large number of devotees thronged temples across the city on Sunday to celebrate Mahashivratri with religious fervour and enthusiasm. From early morning, long and serpentine queues were witnessed outside prominent Shivalayas as devotees waited patiently for their turn to offer prayers.

Carrying flowers, belpatra and pots of water mixed with milk for jalabhishek, men, women and children lined up outside temples, chanting hymns in praise of Lord Shiva. The city’s oldest shrines, including Virbhan Shivalaya and Bhaiya Da Shivalaya, witnessed an overwhelming rush of devotees from dawn. The sanctum sanctorum at these temples remained packed throughout the day.

To mark the auspicious occasion, several religious and social organisations set up langar stalls in different parts of the city. Volunteers served a variety of food items, including poori-longi, chana bhatura, kulfa and phirni, to thousands of devotees. In many places, the langar service began at midnight and continued till late evening.

Members of the Amarnath Sewa Mandal organised elaborate langars at multiple locations. Several other organisations, mohalla committees and social groups also took part in the celebrations by arranging langars in their respective localities.

However, the heavy footfall and langar arrangements led to traffic congestion in several areas. Roads leading to major temples witnessed traffic snarls as devotees gathered in large numbers. In some places, overcrowding and roadside stalls impeded the smooth flow of vehicles.

Long queues of vehicles were seen near several langar sites on the outer circular road of the walled city. At certain points, people had to wait for a long time to cross due to the huge rush of devotees. Despite the congestion, the festive spirit remained high, with devotees expressing joy and devotion while celebrating Mahashivratri in the holy city.