BHUBANESWAR: Maha Shivaratri was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the City on Monday. Lakhs of devotees thronged Lingaraj temple here and offered prayers to Lord Shiva.
Mahadeep was lifted atop the temple at 9.30 pm, 30 minutes before the time scheduled by the temple administration. Tight security arrangements were made near the temple and its periphery for the annual event during which police intercepted some visitors with fake passes.
“Some visitors who possessed fake passes were intercepted and stopped from entering the temple,” Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahu said.About 24 platoons of police force, five Additional DCPs, 25 inspectors, 80 sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors were deployed at the temple to maintain law and order during the festival.
Demand for ‘Bel’ leaves with five sides surges
Cuttack: As the entire State celebrated Shivaratri with reverence, there was a huge demand for the rare penta-foliate ‘Bel dala’ (five sided Bel leaves) among the devotees here on Monday. Apart from the many offerings made to the deity, including trifoliate ‘Bel dala’ (three leaves) and flowers such as Champa, Aparajita and Durdura, there was a huge demand for penta-foliate ‘bel dala’. It is believed that the wishes of those who perform puja of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on Maha Shivaratri with the penta-foliate Bel leaves are fulfilled. “I had to place an order to get a penta-foliate Bel leaf a month before the occasion,” said a devotee who paid `500 for a bunch. A gardener Sudam Rana of Julikipada said though he had received orders from 34 persons a month back, he could get only four penta-foliate Bel leaves.