Bengaluru celebrates Maha Shivaratri with pomp

Maha Shivaratri returned to the city in full vigour with many temples organising programmes throughout the day and night for the faithful.

The Shivoham Shiva Temple, the city’s biggest with a 65-foot-tall Shiva idol, received one lakh devotees on Tuesday alone.

Events like 24-hour bhajans, hymn chanting and sound shows reverberated the temple, helping devotees stay engaged throughout the night.

While the programmes will be conducted in accordance with the Covid protocol, organisers said money raised from the event will be used to help the needy and destitute.

Excise Minister K Gopalaiah celebrated the occasion by visiting various temples. He inaugurated a food donation drive, distributed masks to people standing in the queue and cautioned people to stay safe.

At the Art Of Living Foundation, cultural programmes have been organised to mark Maha Shivaratri, and live-streamed. Special pujas were organised at Ramakrishna Math in Basavanagudi in the evening hours.

Hundreds and thousands of people thronged shiva temples including the Kadu Malleshwara Temple in Malleswaram, Sripaada Kshetra in JP Nagar and Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple in Gavipuram.

At the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore, celebrations led by its founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev began at 6 pm Tuesday and were still ongoing at press time. The 12-hour event had 100 million viewers from 170 countries, organisers reported.

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