Jamshedpur, July 27: The ‘HarHarMahadev’ chant and sounds of bell resonated across the city as thousands of devotees thronged temples to seek blessings of Lord Shiva on the fourth Monday of the auspicious Shravan month.
Due to spread of virus Corona few temples performed rituals. Inside the temples, the fragrance of agarbattis, sandalwood and flowers gave a pious feel. While the serene air that accomplishes religious festivities instilled a positive feeling among the devotees.
In the temples, devotees poured milk, curd, honey, ghee and bael (bilwa) leaves on Shivlings and prayed for the well-being and prosperity of the family. People also offered prasad (sweets) to the deity along with flowers which were later distributed among devotees. “Lord Shiva is the one who removes all hindrances in the way of his devotee’s life. During the month of Shravan, we visit temple every Monday,” said Shubhra Shukla.
On the holy occasion, devotees also observe fast on every Monday falling in Shravan month. “It is believed unmarried girls who observe fast on all Mondays of the month get good husbands. Married women keep it for peace and prosperity of the family. Besides, fasting purifies our soul and provides inner strength,” said Alka Singh another visitor to the temple.
Of all the temples in the city, the shiv temple at Sakchi is said to be the most revered. Mahant at temple said, “Large number of devotees queued outside the temple since the wee-hours and the crowd swelled throughout the day. Devotees also performed ‘Rudrabhishek’ and shringar rituals.”
Noted astrologer Kalyan Mishra says, “it is said that lord Shiva showers blessings on all those who remember him with true heart. This is one of the reason that motivates lakhs of shiva devotees especially kanwariyas to travel hundreds of kilometres on bare foot and offer prayers at the shiva ‘jyotirlinga’.
Apart from imposing ban on the entry of heavy vehicles in city area the men in khaki strictly imposed the traffic diversions inside the city. Tight security arrangements were made near all the prominent temples
Ravindranath Chaturvedi, a priest, said the month of monsoon is considered to be very sacred for Hindu devotees.
