Prayers, fasts mark Mahashivratri in Ludhiana dist

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 18

Mahashivratri, the birthday of Lord Shiva, was celebrated with traditional gaiety and religious fervour in Ludhiana district on Saturday.

It was an early start to the day for the Shiva devotees with ritual bathing and prayers to celebrate the occasion. Unmarried young girls outnumbered married women in fasting for the day while praying for a good husband. The devotees observed a stringent fast which would be broken only at the crack of dawn the next day.

A large number of Hindus thronged different tastefully-decorated Shiva temples since early morning to offer prayers and pour milk, water and bilwa leaves on the Shivalingam and smeared bhasm (holy ashes) on their forehead.

Long-winding queues were seen outside the Shiva, Sanatan Dharma and Lakshmi Narayana temples across the city and in other parts of the district as well.

A huge congregation was held at the Pracheen Shiva Mandir at Chehlan village near Samrala and the police had a tough time to control the sea of devotees and movement of vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana national highway, on which the temple was located.

Shobha Yatras on the eve of Mahashivratri were also taken out in different parts of the tricity wherein tableaux depicted the marriage of Lord Shiva. Children, dressed as Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, were the centre of attraction.

Temples held special functions continuing day and night to mark the occasion.

The Commissionerate and zonal police had made elaborate security arrangements around the main temples as a precautionary measure.

According to the Hindu calendar, Mahashivratri is celebrated a day or two before the new moon in the month of Phalgun (February-March).

Lord Shiva is considered one of the deities of Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu.

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