The festival of Mahashivratri was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across Jammu province on Monday.
Since morning, the devotees thronged the Lord Shiva templesacross Jammu province and offered special prayers.
Shivratri, literally the night of Shiva, is one of the mostimportant occasions of the Hindu calendar, typically falling each year on thefourteenth day/night of the dark half of the month of the Phalguna(February–March).
Shivratri, also known as Herath holds special significanceamong Kashmiri Pandit community. The Pandit community celebrates the festivalfor several weeks. During the celebration, they cook fish, special vegetablesdishes and designate days with special names to offer prayers to Lord Shivaeach day.
In Jammu district, the biggest gathering of devotees wasseen at Aap Shambu temple in Janipur area, where the temple of Lord Shiva wasdecorated with flowers, Bel Patra and Bhang, the favourite prasad offered toLord Shiva. Devotees also offered milk and Jala (water) to the Shiva Linga.
Special community kitchens (Langars) were also organised bythe prominent people of the town on way to the temple, where people wereprovided cooked rice, vegetables, fruits, sweets as Prasad.
At New Plot based Shiv Temple of Kashmiri Pandit communityalso, a large crowd of people offered special prayers.
Another grand function was held in Dewan Mandir here where ahuge rush of devotees was witnessed from early in the morning.
With chanting of slogans like “Bol Bham” and “Bham BhamBhole”, thousands of devotees also paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at Peer Khobased Jawant Cave Shrine.
There (Peer Kho), tourism department had also organised aMela, where children enjoyed the rides of Ferris Wheel and Pendulum Rides. Somefood and departmental stalls were also set up there to attract the devotees.
Langars were also organised at Peer Mitha, Kachi Chawni,Saraja Dhakki, Peer Kho, Janipur, New Plot, Jewel Chowk, Bus Stand, ScienceCollege Road, Tallab Tillo and other areas of the city where the devotees wereoffered Prasad.
At Tallab Tillo area, Samvedhna Society organised 5thVarshik (annual) Langar where prominent people of the town, including thesociety chairman, Keshav Chopra, former minister Sat Sharma, SSP (SOG) SandeepMehta, DSP headquarters Sheema Nabi, Mahant Kali Mata Mandir, Tallab Tillo,Swami Mahadev Giri, Ayodhya Gupta and engineer Parneesh Mahajan offered prasadto people.
At Khoon area in Majalta village of Udhampur, the 15thannual Maha Shivratri-cum-Gramin Vikas Mela was organized where thousands ofdevotees participated.
The mela was organised by Destitute and Handicapped WelfareAssociation (DAHWA), a NGO, in collaboration with district administrationUdhampur, information department and Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Cultureand Languages (JKAACL).
The agriculture department also facilitated the ruralfarmers with various agri tools, high yielding seeds and fertilizers onsubsidy.
The government departments of the district including health,agriculture, district industries and commerce (DIC), horticulture, sericulture,rural development, animal and sheep husbandry established their stalls anddistributed literature on schemes of their respective departments.
On the occasion, scintillating cultural programmes werepresented by the information department Udhampur, artists of JKAACL Jammubesides local artists.
At Arnia, Jammu district, several religious processions weretaken out to celebrate the festival of Mahashivratri.
The festival of Mahashivratri was also celebrated withreligious fanfare and show in Samba and Kathua districts.
Thousands of devotees thronged the Pracheen Shiv temple inBillawar and Pracheen Shiv temple in Aiurwan Kathua and Mahanal Jasrota AapShamboo temple in Kathua. Besides, there was heavy rush of devotees in Shivtemples of Vijaypur, Ramgarh and Samba on the occasion of Maha Shivratri onMonday.
Shivratri was also celebrated in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban andReasi districts where thousands of devotees thronged the Shiv Temple sinceearly Monday morning and offered prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.