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‘Bam Bam Bhole, Om Namah Shivaya, Har Har Mahadev’ with such continuous chants, the entire Maharashtra is immersed in devotion to Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivratri today. A large crowd has gathered for darshan at all the small and large Shiva temples, including the twelve Jyotirlingas in the state, and many devotees have formed long queues outside the temples since midnight. On the occasion of Mahashivratri, all the temples have been decorated with attractive electric lighting and floral decorations.
Twelve Jyotirlingas
A huge crowd is being witnessed for the darshan of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The temple premises at Grishneshwar in Verul have become devotional due to devotees coming from other states, and the ornamental grand worship of Lord Vaidyanath at Parli was conducted in a form adorned with jewelry. This evening at 6 PM, the official grand worship will be conducted by the district collector, and devotees from all over the country have taken darshan under attractive lighting at Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga.
Bhimashankar Temple Closed This Year
Although the Bhimashankar Temple has been closed this year due to development works, the official grand worship was conducted in the presence of the district collector, and it is expected that the works will be completed by the month of Shravan. Due to the closure of this temple, devotees from Pimpri-Chinchwad have crowded local temples, with a special rush at the Peshwa-era temple in Pimple Saudagar.
Enthusiasm among Shiv devotees is evident in Mumbai and its suburbs. In the historic Babulnath Temple in South Mumbai, queues stretching 2 to 3 kilometers have formed since midnight, and the administration has arranged for drinking water and police security. At the 966-year-old temple in Ambernath, devotees from Banaras are being given darshan from outside the sanctum.
Maha Shivaratri festival in all temples including the twelve Jyotirlingas; a huge crowd of devotees.
Attractive lighting and grand worship in major temples including Verul, Parli, Trimbakeshwar.
Long queues of devotees at the historic Babulnath, Ambernath temples in Mumbai suburbs.
Bhima Shankar temple closed due to development works, devotees visited local temples.