February 12th – Devotees pay obeisance to Lord Shiva on Shivratri

 Devotees paid obeisance to Lord Shiva on occasion of Shivratri on Friday. Right since early morning, people started gathering in the

city’s temples. Police were on high alert outside major temples to avert any mishap. In major city temples including Sangla Shivala, Durga Mata Mandir and Dandi Swami, police and traffic personnel were appointed so that traffic jams or stampedes caused by a huge number of devotees coming to the temple could be avoided. People offered fruits and milk, paid obeisance and offered prayers to the deity at the shrines.

Describing the importance of the day, Kapil, a devotee, said Shivratri is celebrated for several reasons. Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati on this night. There are those who believe Lord Shiva became ‘Neelkantham’ or the blue-throated one by swallowing the deadly poison that came up during churning of the milky ocean. The poison was so deadly that even a drop in His stomach, representative of the universe, would have annihilated the entire world. So he held it in his neck, which turned blue owing to the poison’s effect. Shivratri is, therefore, a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for protecting us from annihilation, he added.

For unmarried girls too, the day is significant, as is expressed by Silky, another devotee. “Shivratri is considered one of the most auspicious festivals among Hindus and a large number of unmarried girls fast on this day so that they could get an ideal match. The fast on this day is equivalent to 17 fasts on successive Mondays.”