Kashi Vishwanath.
Today, on the great festival of Mahashivratri, Shiva’s city Kashi has become completely Shiva-like. Devotees have gathered in large numbers to have darshan of Baba Vishwanath. The temple administration has made unprecedented arrangements in view of the huge crowd of devotees, so that every Shiva devotee can easily get a glimpse of Baba.
After the Mangala Aarti of Baba Vishwanath is completed from 2:15 to 3:15, the doors are opened for the common devotees from 3:30 in the morning. As soon as the doors opened, the temple administration showered flowers on the devotees and welcomed them into the temple premises.
At this time a large number of common devotees are visiting. Devotees are being taken to the sanctum sanctorum from all the four gates. Crowd management has been done through zig zag system.
All types of VVIP and other types of passes have been banned for the next 48 hours and only tableau darshan is being conducted. Implementation of Zig Zag system is helping in crowd management. Arrangements have been made such that the darshan can be done within an hour of standing in the queue. The queue of devotees had started forming from late night itself. The queue of devotees extended for three kilometres.
The schedule of aartis to be held on Mahashivratri has been released by the temple administration.
The timetable of Aartis to be held in Dham on Mahashivratri festival is as follows-
1. Mangala Aarti
Puja at 02:15 am. Mangala Aarti at 03:15 am, temple opened for devotees to visit at 03:30 am
2. Midday Bhog Aarti
Puja will start at 11:40 am and will end at 12:20 pm
3. Aarti of all four hours
first quarter
Conch shell will be blown at 09:30 pm and preparations for puja will begin. Aarti will start at 10:00 pm and will end at 12:30 pm. During this, tableau darshan will continue continuously.
second phase
Aarti will start at 01:30 pm and will end at 02:30 pm. Tableau darshan will continue continuously.
third quarter
Aarti will start at 03:30 am and will end at 04:30 am. Tableau darshan will continue during this time also.
fourth quarter
Aarti will start at 05:00 am and will end at 06:15 am. Tableau darshan will continue continuously.
