Devotees flood Shiva Dol in Sivasagar on Shivaratri

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

SIVASAGAR, March 7: Lakhs of devotees of Lord Shiva have congregated in large numbers at the historic Shiva Dol in Sivasagar on the occasion of Shivaratri on Monday. Devotees were seen standing in large serpentine queues since midnight for their turn to pour milk and water and offer worship to Lord Shiva and seek his blessings. The town wore a festive look as pilgrims, sadhus and traders from different parts of India assembled at the historic town to take part in the festivities.

According to the temple development committee, everything was in place as per plan and going smoothly. More than one lakh devotees have offered their rituals since the Shivaratri Utsav kicked off on Sunday and everything was in order from the rituals to crowd magement.

Earlier, the one of the largest gathering places of people for a religious purpose in India, the four-day Maha Shivratri Mela began on Sunday with a grand opening ceremony inside the Shiva Doul (temple) complex in Sivasagar, headed by Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Virendra Mittal, who is also the president of the Sivasagar Temple Development Board.

After iugurating the fair by illumiting the ceremonial lights, Mittal, in his speech, lauded the efforts of the organizing committee for holding the fair in a systematic manner. He also spoke about the significance of Maha Shivratri.

Dr Mahendra Borgohain, retired maging director of Assam Petrochemicals Limited, who was the chief guest on the occasion, spoke on the historical perspective of the Shivratri Mela. He also spoke on the architectural significance of the temples constructed during the Ahom period and stressed the need to preserve and promote the historical monuments of Sivasagar district.

A souvenir in the form of a magazine titled Sadahshiv, edited by Bijendra Gogoi, DIPRO, was also released on the occasion.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made on the fair premises to prevent any untoward incidents during the festival. A total of 200 CCTV cameras have been installed at different locations in and around the Shiva Doul to keep round-the-clock vigil.