Spiritual fervour marks Mahasivaratri celebrations across Visakhapatnam

Devotion and spiritual fervour marked Mahasivaratri celebrations across the city on Sunday, with priests rendering Vedic hymns at major Siva temples.

An artiste in the attire of Lord Siva walking along the Main Road near GVMC on the occasion of Mahasivaratri in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
V RAJU

The 41st Maha Kumbhabhishekam at RK Beach emerged as the centrepiece of the festivities. The iconic Beach Road echoed with chants as thousands of devotees gathered for the Kotilingalu ceremony.

Former Union Minister T. Subbarami Reddy oversaw the rituals, which included abhishekam to one crore Siva Lingas with holy water brought from sacred rivers across the country.

Despite tight security arrangements in view of the International Fleet Review, an estimated two lakh devotees thronged the beach for the holy dip and the evening spiritual congregation. The district administration, along with the police, deployed drone surveillance and around 8,000 personnel to regulate the crowd, as festival attendees and naval visitors converged at the venue.

Meanwhile, B. K. Aparanji of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual organisation in Murali Nagar said the spiritual celebrations reached their peak over the weekend. The programme began on Friday with an elaborate display of the Dvadasa Jyotirlingas, representing the 12 sacred abodes of Lord Siva. The exhibition was open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., enabling devotees to offer prayers and witness the installations.