Devotees throng Pashupatinath, Mahakaleshwar, Varanasi, Baidyanath, Bakreshwar, Tarakeshwar on first Monday of Shrawan.

Thousands of Devotees went Pashupatinath Temple on first Monday of Shrawan.

A devotee offers prayers to Lord Shiva in front of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, on the first Monday of the holy month of Shrawan, on July 18, 2016. Photo: RSS

Asmita Kumari Bhandari | HENB | Kathmandu | July 18, 2016:: Thousands of Hindu devotees thronged the Pashupatinath Temple since early morning today to observe the first Monday in the holy month of Shrawan in Nepali calendar.

The month Shrawan oe Shawan is considered as the auspicious period to worship Lord Shiva in the form of Pashupatinath.

Hindu Devotees of all ages, specially the women folk were seen queuing up to offer worships and prayers to Lord Shiva with great devotion.

It is believed that devotees will get their wishes fulfilled by worshipping Lord Shiva on the month of Shrawan, especially on Mondays. They offer Bel (wood apple – Aegle marmelos) leaves and water to Shiva lingam (stonified symbol of Shiva) on this occasion.

Most of the devotees on fasting had started visiting the temple since 2:00 am today, Pashupati Area Development Trust Member-Secretary Govind Tandon told HENB and prayed for the peace and prosperity for global Hindus.

Simhasth like arrangements in Mahakaleshwar Temple in three days in week during Shawan. Lakhs of devotees thronged in Ujjain .

Hari Omkar Sharma | HENB | Ujjain | July 18, 2016:: The MP Govt and the Ujjain Mahakaleshwar Temple Trustee Board have taken a huge measure like Simhasth Kumbh in three days in a week (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) to control and facilitate the lakhs of Shiva Bhaktas (devotees) reaching the Mahakal Nagari Ujjain to observe the Shawan, the month dedicated to Lord Shiva.

On the first day of Shawan lakhs of devotees reached to Mahakaleshwar temple and offered puja with high devotion and jubilation. All the Dharamshalas and the hotels in the city are overloaded; many of devotees are staying in streets and railway station before and after offering puja to Mahakaleshwar until they proceeded for their native destination. Devotees are chanting ‘Bol Bom’ and Baba Mahakaleshwar ki Jai frequently.

The Temple Committee has decided a ‘no entry to the sanctum sanctorum’ in these days (even the VIPs and VVIPs are not to be allowed) and the ‘Bhashma Aarti’ (the sprinkling of holy ash to the Yotirlingam) will be seen in the que on move.

The President of the Mahakal Mandir Samiti and Ujjain Collector Kavindra Kiyawat told HENB that a high power committee has been formed to see all the arrangements to facilitate all the Bhaktas and Kawadiyas Coming to Mahakaleshwar. But the Kawadiyas (devotees carrying water in pots from a holy water source for offering it to deity from farside in groups on foot) will be restricted outside the third cordon.

For safety and security of the devotees, many CCTVs have been installed in temple complex and outside to monitor the situation overall. The temple zone has been demarcated in three zones, where the devotees in groups (Kawadiyas ) are received in the third cordon to keep their belongings in  safe places and will be channelized towards garbhgriha (sanctum sanctorum) through a separate queue from there.

Shrawan begins in Varanasi, traffic curbs in place. Lakhs of devotees reach the City of Shiva on 1st Monday.

Rajdeep Shrivastava | HENB | Varanasi | July 18, 2016:: Lakhs of devotees Kashi Vishwanath have thronged in the City of Lord Shiva Varanasi to observe the Shrawan and to offer puja to Vishwanath on the most auspicious 1st Monday of the month.

Keeping in view the huge rush of devotees and ‘kanwariyas’ during the holy month of Shrawan starting from July 17, the vehicular movement will be restricted on many roads and routes in the city. No vehicle would be allowed to move towards Godowlia and Dashashwamedh from Maidagin, Luxa, Benia crossing and Sonarpura.

1 lakh devotees visit Deoghar temple on 1st Monday of Sawan.

Subhadra Mishra Pandit | HENB | Deoghar | July 18, 2016:: Most of the “Kawadiyas” or “Kanwarias” came through Deoghar-bound trains. No train that went via Jasidih, the main railway station of Deoghar district, was free from the saffron-clad devotees chanting “Bol bam ka nara hai, baba tera sahara hai” and “Har Har Mahadev” etc. Many of the devotees came on foot even walking beyond 20-30-40 kilometers in a day to reach Baba dham, the most popular name of Baidyanath Dham of Deoghar. It is believed that Baidyanath is the most visited Shiva Temple in the Eastern India.

Over one lakh “kanwarias” arrived at the Baidyanath Temple to offer prayers to the Shiva Jyothirlingam on Monday. As it was the first Monday of the holy Shravani month, which is considered auspicious, no one wanted to miss it. According to an estimate at 6pm on Monday by officials engaged in crowd management at Deoghar, around 20,000 to 25,000 “kanwarias” who have been waiting in the queue since morning would be in time pressure to offer holy water to Lord Shiva though the temple time was extended upto 10 pm.

A member of the Baidyanath Dham Temple Trust said majority of the devotees found it impossible to enter the sanctum sanctorum because of heavy rush and poor management at the entrance. “It is not managed as smoothly as in Tirupathi or Shirdi or even Amarnath Cave, where everyone is guaranteed entry into the temple,” he added.

Deoghar SP Subodh Prasad said the temple administration had also extended the puja time by one hour and now kanwarias would be allowed to offer prayer till 10pm.

A 5-km long queue was seen at the temple on Monday. It was the longest queue of the season. Till now, over four lakh people have visited the temple in last three days.

Amarnath, Somenath, Bakreshwar, Tarakeshwar.

Sabita from HENB Delhi Desk reports: Some Thousand devotees of Amarnath Yatra who got the chance to offer their Puja in the Amarnath cave on Monday felt so blessed by Baba Barfani (known as Amarnath also). The pilgrimage of Annual Amarnath Yatra this year is facing a lot of troubles due to the Jihadi violence in the valley after the death of a Hizbul Commander in encounter.

Huge number of Hindu devotees offered their puja at Somenath temple in Gujarat, Bakreshwar and  Tarakeshwar in West Bengal, as reported.

In west Bengal the Shiva devotees are seen ever enthusiastic as kanwariyas and take long journey on foot from Tarapith to Bakreshwar (64.2 kms in two days) and Sheoraphuli to Tarakeshwar (37.2 kms in one day) to observe the holy Shrawan and Mondays in Shrawan month.

In most of the places intelligence and police are keeping special watch to avert any attack on the Hindu devotees by the Muslim militants in this festive month.

Shiva temples all over India have been decorated with traditional garlands, leaves and lightings to add colours in the festive season meant for Lord Shiva considered as Devadidev, the Lord of the Lords.

Averting any chance of stampede at the time of Monday rush in this month is another headache of the police and security agencies on duty in the temples.

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__Agencies.