Mahashivratri is being celebrated with religious fervor and devotion throughout the country on Wednesday as large number of devotes are performing special Shivratri puja at different shivalayas.
Temples and Places of worships have been decorated nicely at famous religious towns including Varanasi, Allahabad, Barabanki, Ayodhya and Mathura. Bathing at Sangam the confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati is going on at Allahabad on the last bathing festival of more than one month long Magh Mela.
Procession of Shiva barat is also being taken out on the streets of Varaansi. Devotees are also taking holy bath at various ghats of Varaansi and at Sangam in Allahaabd since morning.
Massive security arrangements have been made across the state and 12 companies of Rapid Action Force and 39 companies of PAC are deployed.
In Uttrakhand, people are reaching various temples to perform religious ceremonies in different lord Shiva temples across the state. In Haridwar devotees are also taking bath in river Ganga.
In Jammu and Kashmir, a large gathering of devotees are being seen in Shiva temples throughout the state .The special worships and religious progammes are being Shiv khori temple in Jammu on Wednesday .
In the National Capital devotees are thronged in different Shiva temples in the Metro. Huge crowd of women reaching in Gauri Shankar temple in Chandni Chowk and Karkar Dooma Shiv temple since morning.
In Jharkhand, people are in long queues since morning in various Shiva temples, including that of Baijnathdam in Deoghar and Pahari Temple in Ranchi.
In Odisha, Maha Shivaratri is being celebrated in all the temples of Lord Shiva with much fervour and lot of enthusiasm. Thousands of devotees are seen making beeline in major Shiv temples.
Reports are also coming from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha that Mahashivratri is being celebrated with religious dedication and faith.
There are two popular to legends related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri – according to one, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati, while other legend is that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, – the primal dance of the creation, preservation and destruction.