Night vigil marks Shivaratri in temples

Gurukula of 108 lingas continues to attract devotees

Devotees on Tuesday observed night vigil with much fervour on account of Mahashivaratri festival. Like previous years, Sri Trinayaneshwara Swamy Temple at Palace, 108 lingas at Gurukula and Sri Kamakameshwari Temple on Ramanuja road, Sri Maruleshwara Swamy Temple on Adhichunchanagiri road in Kuvempunagar were prominent among the temples visited by the devotees in large numbers throughout the day.

The Trinayaneshwara Swamy Temple near the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Palace was the highlight, with the deity of linga decorated with ‘Chinnada Kolaga’ (golden mask) weighing 11-kg. It is only during Mahashivaratri the deity is covered with the mask ever since it was donated by the then maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, to mark the birth of his son Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar in 1952.

Devotees were seen waiting in serpentine queue in front of the temple when it opened doors at 3.30 am. The day’s rituals began with ‘Rudrabhisheka’ at 4 am, followed by ‘Chinnada Kolaga dharane’ (decorating the deity with the mask) at 5.15 am during ‘Brahmi muhurth’, followed by ‘Mahamangalarathi’ and ‘Prasada viniyoga’. Mahamangalrathi was performed later in the day at 4 pm and 11 pm, according to the priests at the temple.

To enable the devotees, the City Armed Reserve (CAR) police who have been tasked with the security arrangements inside the palace, had erected barricades making separate entry and exit points to the temple. Prasada was distributed at separate points.

At Gurukula
The Gurukula of 108 lingas carved by the Shilpa Siddanthi Siddalinga Swamy too attracted the devotees in hordes during the festival. Like Trinayaneshwara Swamy temple where the golden mask of the deity is the main attraction, the idols of lingas are opened to public only during the festival, attracting people from every corner of the city. At Kamakameshwari Temple, apart from the flower bedecked deity, the monolithic idol of Nandi (bull) at the entrance was the centre of attraction for the devotees. Cultural programmes were also organised, with a group of women singers rendering devotional songs. Likewise special pujas were held at all the Shiva temples and prominent temples in the city.

Districts
In other parts of the region, the celebrations attracted heavy footfalls at important piligrim centres including Male Mahadeshwara Temple near Kollegal and Srikanteshwara Swamy temple, in Nanjangud. More than three lakh devotees visited MM Hills temple during the day.