Ujjain (MP), Oct 29 (PTI) The sacred lingam at theMahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple here was covered with whitecotton cloth during a key ritual for the first time incenturies, a day after the Supreme Court gave its nod to newnorms for worshipping at the ancient shrine of Lord Shiva.
The stone lingam (symbol of the deity) was fully coveredwith white cotton cloth during the 'Bhasma-Aarti' - specialprayer with sacred ash - held on Saturday morning, a templeofficial said today.
On Friday, the apex court had given its nod to new normsfor worshipping at the temple, including allowing only 500 mlof reverse osmosis (RO) water for the ceremony and coveringthe lingam fully with dry cotton cloth during the Bhasma-Aarti.
"We have implemented the Supreme Court directives withimmediate effect. Since centuries, the jyotirlingam ofMahakaleshwar was being covered half with cloth during Bhasma-Aarti. From Saturday, the jyotirlingam is being fully coveredin accordance with the apex court directives," MahakaleshwarTemple's administrator Pradeep Soni said.
Soni said: "All other restrictions directed by theapex court were put in place. Now each devotee is allowed totake only 500ml of RO water for 'jalabhishek' while only drypuja is allowed after 5 pm.""Bhasma-Aarti is a century-old tradition and for thefirst time, this early morning ritual was performed with the'Shivlingam' fully covered with cotton cloth. These measuresare being taken to check the erosion of the Shivlingam," saidAshish Pujari, a priest at the temple.
Hearing a petition seeking directives to prevent erosionof the Shivlingam, the apex court had constituted an expertcommittee on August 25 this year. The panel, comprisingofficials from the Archaeological Survey of India, theGeological Survey of India and others, submitted its report tothe apex court after conducting a study of the Jyotirlingam.
The committee estimated the rate at which thedeterioration in its size was taking place and suggestedmeasures to prevent it.
On October 27, the SC approved eight points of theresolution passed by the temple management committee inconsonance with recommendations of the expert panel.
A bench of justices Arun Mishra and L Nageswara Rao saidthe recommendations of the expert committee needed to beimplemented to preserve the Shivlingam.
As per the new approved norms, devotees would bepermitted a fixed amount of RO water (500 ml per person) forjalabhishek. Restrictions were also placed for abhishek,allowing only up to 1.25 litres of milk or 'panchamrut'(mixture of honey, liquid jaggery, milk, yogurt and ghee) perdevotee.
After 5 pm every day, the lingam will be cleaned anddried to minimise the water content and thereafter only drypooja would be permitted. The usual practice of rubbing thesugar powder on 'Shivlingam' has been fully banned. Instead,the use of 'khandsari' (unrefined raw white sugar) is to bepromoted.
According to the norms, a new sewage treatment plant isto be set up within a year and dryers and fans are to be usedto avoid moisture in sanctum sanctorum. PTI COR ADU RSYABH.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.