Jamshedpur, July 22 : Shiv temples saw the throngs of devotees paying obeisance to Lord Shiva on the first Monday of Shravan today. �Shrawan Somvar� is considered one of the most holiest at all the Shiv temples and thousands of devotees were seen in long queues to offer �bel patri� and milk to the Lord.
Devotees in large numbers thronged various city temples on the first Monday of ‘shrawan’. The temples reverberated with the chants of ‘bam bam bhole’ and ‘har har mahadev’.
The devotees offered milk, honey, sandalwood paste and leaves of wood apple on ‘shivalingas’. A large number of ‘kanwariyas’ also gathered at shiva temples to offer holy water.
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.
‘Kanwarias’ aged from eight to eighty years had lined up at the streets leading to the famed temple for the treasured ‘darshan’. Unprecedented security arrangements were made.
The district administration and voluntary organisation, as
in the past, have made elaborate arrangements for fooding, lodging and medical
care of the devotees.
The first Monday in the Sawan is having a great importance among Hindus. Sawan
is the fifth month of Hindu calendar. There are three types of fasts that can
be kept on Mondays. These including fasting on Mondays, Solah somvar (fasting
on sixteen consecutive mondays) and Pradosh fast. Any one of these fasts should
be started from the first Monday of the Sawan month. According to beliefs,
worshipping Lord Shiva on this day provides a person with wealth. On the
occasion, thousands of devotees are likely to visit city temples to offer their
prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri. The month is governed by the star
Shravan, hence it is called Shravan and is popularly called Sawan. Devotees
pile the linga high with Bel leaves and flowers and fast till sunset. It is
considered highly auspicious to wear a rudraksha in Shravan month.