The festival of Holi was celebrated with traditional enthusiasm and devotion today at Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Holi festival was started by offering herbal gulal to Lord Mahakal during the morning Bhasma Aarti. Sugar garland was offered to Baba Mahakal. However, due to security reasons, the temple committee did not allow the devotees to carry gulal this time. But there was no decrease in the faith of the devotees and a flood of devotees was seen in the temple.
Like every year, this time too devotees expressed their desire to play Holi with God in Mahakal temple, but after last year’s accident, security was tightened. In Bhasma Aarti, herbal gulal was specially offered to Lord Mahakal, and the devotees were allowed only to take advantage of darshan and aarti.
This time only limited quantity of Gulal was offered to the Lord in Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple. Before the evening aarti, gulal was also offered to Lord Shri Chandramoleshwar, Shri Koteshwar-Shri Rameshwar and Shri Veerbhadra. After this, as per tradition, Lord Mahakal was made to wear sugar garland and Makhana garland and Gulal was offered.
As part of the tradition of Holika Dahan, the priests of the temple worshiped Holika, which was the first to be lit in the world, and burnt it formally.
Crowd of devotees gathered in Mahakal temple
Although this time due to the ban on color and gulal in the temple, the same colors were not seen as last year, but there was no lack in the faith of the devotees. The devotees took the message of victory of truth by remembering the devotion of Prahlad and the story of the end of Holika. The color of Holi remained in the minds of the devotees with the Aarti of Baba Mahakal.
Keeping security in mind, devotees were not allowed to carry gulal, but the tradition of Bhasma Aarti and gulal offering was completed smoothly in the temple.
14 minutes eclipse, know what will be the order of worship
Tuesday is the day of Phalgun Shukla Purnima. Government priest Pandit Ghanshyam Sharma said that only sugar will be offered to God in the morning Dadyodak and Bhog Aarti. After the eclipse is over, evening aarti will be performed after purification in the temple, bathing of the Lord and offering food to the Lord. The eclipse is going to last from 6:32 to 6:46 pm on March 3, i.e. for 14 minutes. The Veda period of eclipse will start from sunrise in the morning.
Everything pales in comparison to the energy of Lord Mahakaleshwar.
Pandit Mahesh Pujari said that on the day of the eclipse, all the arrangements of the temple will remain as usual, but due to the eclipse no one, be it the priest or the devotee, will touch the Lord. During this time the priests chant mantras in the sanctum sanctorum. When the eclipse is over, the priest will perform Jalabhishek of the Lord after taking bath. The idols of all the Gods and Goddesses present in the temple premises will be performed Jalabhishek.