Devotees thronged major Shiva temples across Madhya Pradesh on the last Monday of Sawan, with special prayers, abhishekam and religious ceremonies being held from the early hours. At the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, the temple doors opened at 2:30 am for the Bhasma Aarti. After ritual prayers, Lord Mahakal was given a special adornment featuring a silver crown, silver mund mala, Rudraksha garland, flowers and traditional ornaments.
The morning rituals began with the worship of Nandi after his ceremonial bath. Lord Mahakal was then anointed with water followed by Panchamrit made from milk, curd, ghee, sugar, honey and fruit juices. The deity was decorated with a silver moon, trident, crown and other ornaments, along with sandalwood, bhang and dry fruits. Fruits and sweets were offered as bhog.
Mahakal’s Royal Procession at 4 pm
The much-awaited royal procession of Lord Mahakal will begin from the temple at 4 pm. The procession will pass through Mahakal Chauraha, Gudri Chauraha, Bakshi Bazaar and Kaharwadi before reaching Ram Ghat on the banks of the Shipra River.
At Ram Ghat, the deity will be worshipped and offered the holy water of the Shipra. Four forms of Lord Mahakal will be part of the procession, including Shri Chandramouleshwar in the palanquin, Shri Manmahesh on the elephant, Shri Shiv Tandav on the Garuda chariot and Shri Uma-Mahesh on the Nandi chariot.
The procession will also include mounted police personnel, armed forces, Home Guards, police bands and religious groups.
Devotees Gather at Omkareshwar
At Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and Mamleshwar, devotees continued to arrive for darshan on the final Monday of Sawan. Special Rudrabhishek rituals were performed at the temples.
A traditional procession is scheduled in the evening. Police bands, seven dhol groups and religious tableaux will be part of the event. A helicopter flower shower is also planned over Omkareshwar during the procession.
Bhojeshwar Mahadev Gets Floral Adornment
At Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple in Bhojpur, Lord Bhojeshwar Mahadev was decorated in the form of Mahakaleshwar. Around 600 kg of flowers were used for the special adornment.
Rudrabhishek and other rituals were performed before darshan was opened for devotees.
Devotees Reach Kundeshwar Amid Rain
At Shiv Dham Kundeshwar in Tikamgarh, devotees continued to arrive despite intermittent rain. Priests performed Rudrabhishek during Brahma Muhurta at around 4 am. A special adornment and evening aarti are scheduled later in the day.
At the Ashtamukhi Pashupatinath Temple in Mandsaur, the day began with Mangala Aarti at 5 am, followed by Jalabhishek, Dugdh Abhishek and Rudrabhishek. Devotees were allowed to offer prayers from outside the sanctum.
Special Worship Across Madhya Pradesh
Several other Shiva temples across the state also witnessed special arrangements. At Gendeshwar Mahadev Temple in Indore, 12 symbolic Jyotirlingas have been created for devotees. At Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple in Panchkuiya, the deity was decorated with Bilva leaves and flowers.
At Baijnath Mahadev Temple in Agar-Malwa, devotees performed Jalabhishek and Panchamrit Abhishek before the morning aarti. Meanwhile, a Kanwar Yatra is being taken out from Ratlam towards Kedreshwar.
With the final Monday of Sawan drawing large crowds, temples across Madhya Pradesh witnessed a mix of traditional rituals, processions and special decorations, while devotees continued to queue for darshan from the early morning.
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