<p>Devotees thronged Shiva temples in the City to offer prayers to Lord Shiva and seek his blessings on Maha Shivaratri.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The day is celebrated to mark the attempt by the devotees to wake up Lord Shiva. <br />According to one of the legends, Lord Shiva drank ‘Haalahala’- a poison which emanated while churning the ‘ocean of milk’. The ill-effect of the Haalahala made him unconscious sending his devotees into a tizzy, who remained awake the whole night praying for his well-being.<br /><br />In keeping with the age-old tradition, many devotees observed fast throughout the day and broke their fast only after offering worship to the deity in the night. Anticipating a huge turnout, Shiva temples and various associations in the City made elaborate arrangements to celebrate the occasion in a grand way. <br /><br />Most of the Shiva temples were abuzz with hectic activities from the evening with the temple managements organising Satsanga and programmes such as dance, drama and devotional music-based programmes.<br /><br />Gavi Gangadhareshwara Devasthana had made special arrangements anticipating huge turnout in the night. Devotees started making a beeline for the temple from the evening and by the night the crowd swelled by huge numbers. The ninth century temple has a special place in the City.<br /><br />At Netkallappa Circle, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda unveiled a 20-ft tall statue of Lord Shiva on Monday evening. <br /><br />The event was marked by a number of cultural events like Krishna Leela and devotional songs dedicated to Lord Shiva. <br /><br />A huge number of people including foreign nationals from some 60 countries, turned up at the Art of Living International Centre. <br /><br />The event began from morning with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar performing the Rudra Puja. <br />In the evening, Maha Sudarshan Kriya was conducted by Ravi Shankar. He also performed Maha Rudrabhishekam.</p>
<p>Devotees thronged Shiva temples in the City to offer prayers to Lord Shiva and seek his blessings on Maha Shivaratri.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The day is celebrated to mark the attempt by the devotees to wake up Lord Shiva. <br />According to one of the legends, Lord Shiva drank ‘Haalahala’- a poison which emanated while churning the ‘ocean of milk’. The ill-effect of the Haalahala made him unconscious sending his devotees into a tizzy, who remained awake the whole night praying for his well-being.<br /><br />In keeping with the age-old tradition, many devotees observed fast throughout the day and broke their fast only after offering worship to the deity in the night. Anticipating a huge turnout, Shiva temples and various associations in the City made elaborate arrangements to celebrate the occasion in a grand way. <br /><br />Most of the Shiva temples were abuzz with hectic activities from the evening with the temple managements organising Satsanga and programmes such as dance, drama and devotional music-based programmes.<br /><br />Gavi Gangadhareshwara Devasthana had made special arrangements anticipating huge turnout in the night. Devotees started making a beeline for the temple from the evening and by the night the crowd swelled by huge numbers. The ninth century temple has a special place in the City.<br /><br />At Netkallappa Circle, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda unveiled a 20-ft tall statue of Lord Shiva on Monday evening. <br /><br />The event was marked by a number of cultural events like Krishna Leela and devotional songs dedicated to Lord Shiva. <br /><br />A huge number of people including foreign nationals from some 60 countries, turned up at the Art of Living International Centre. <br /><br />The event began from morning with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar performing the Rudra Puja. <br />In the evening, Maha Sudarshan Kriya was conducted by Ravi Shankar. He also performed Maha Rudrabhishekam.</p>
