: Religious fervour marks Mahashivarathri celebrations #IndiaNEWS #News Mysore/Mysuru: The city reverberated with the chanting of Shivanama on Tuesday as thousands of people thronged Shiva temples for

Religious fervour marks Mahashivarathri celebrations #IndiaNEWS #News
Mysore/Mysuru: The city reverberated with the chanting of Shivanama on Tuesday as thousands of people thronged Shiva temples for Mahashivarathri festival. The Shivarathri celebrations regained their religious fervour and grandeur after two years, with people standing in long queues to offer prayers. Shivarathri and other festivals were scaled down due to the deadly COVID pandemic, which broke out in March 2020.

Devotees started thronging Shiva temples across the city right from early morning. Various Mutt and temples had organised special pujas, homas and other rituals throughout the day on Tuesday.

Idol of Trineshwaraswamy at Trineshwaraswamy Temple in Palace premises was adorned with 11-kg Golden Mask (Chinnada Kolaga). Devotees were allowed entry to the temple after the first puja in the name of the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas was performed. Titular head of erstwhile Mysore Royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar offered prayers to the deity with his son Aadyaveer Narasimharaja Wadiyar. Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar had offered the Golden Mask to the temple in 1952. The mask is adorned on Trineshwaraswamy idol once a year on Mahashivarathri day. After the festival ended, the mask was brought back to the District Treasury under tight Police security at about 11 am this morning (Mar. 2).

Picture shows titular head of erstwhile Mysore Royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and his son Aadyaveer Narasimharaja Wadiyar at the Temple.

Heavy rush was witnessed at Gurukula on Ramanuja Road yesterday. With thousands of devotees visiting Gurukula and Kamakameshwari Temple close-by, there was heavy vehicular congestion on the stretch of the road. Malaimahadeshwara Temple (M. M. Temple) on Dairy Road witnessed long queues of devotees throughout the day. Pujas and Bhajans were held all through the night till dawn today.

Sri Chandramouleshwara Temple at Matrumandali Circle in Vontikoppal, Amrutheshwara Temple on Dewan’s Road, Prasanna Visweshwaraswamy Temple at Chamarajapuram, Mukkanneshwara Temple on Ashoka Road, Nageshwaraswamy Temple on Bogadi Road, M. M. Temples at Kumbarakoppal and Narayanaswamy Block in Paduvarahalli and all other Shiva temples across the city were brimming with devotees all through the day. Special Pujas were held at Mahabaleshwara Temple atop Chamundi Hill, Suttur Mutt at the foot of Chamundi Hill, Hosamutt at Agrahara, Kuderu Mutt and several other Mutts. Bhajans and devotional songs reverberated throughout the night at some temples, where devotees kept night-long vigil.

Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji conducting Rudrabhisheka to Shivalinga at Ganapathy Ashram in city yesterday.