The Maha Shivaratri festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the twin cities of Hyderabad on Friday. Devotees gathered at Shiva temples to chant prayers and perform special rituals like ‘Rudrabhishekam’.
The temples were decorated and special arrangements were made by the temple managements for the festival. Security personnel, including women officers, were deployed by the police to ensure the smooth conduct of the festivities at prominent temples.
Various puja committees organized day-long celebrations with bhajans lasting till midnight as part of the ‘jagaran’ during the festival. Many families make it a tradition to visit Shiva temples like Keesaragutta for the ‘Brahmotsavam’ on Shivaratri every year.
Shiva temples, especially Keesaragutta, saw a large number of devotees queuing up early in the morning to offer prayers and perform ‘abhishekam’ to lingams on the hillock. Approximately 2.5 lakh devotees visited the shrine on this auspicious day.
Devotees also flocked to the newly constructed Dakshin Ke Badrinath Temple to seek blessings from the Lord.
