ROURKELA: A mammoth gathering was seen at Vedvyas temple complex, located on the banks of confluence of the rivers Sankh and Koel as thousands of devotees thronged to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. As the day progressed, devotees were seen jostling for space in the temple complex. The ‘Mahadeep’ was raised at the Chandrasekhar temple in the complex at 3.30 am on Tuesday. Devotees believe that the holy water fetched from the southward flowing Brahmani river, formed of the Sankh and the Koel confluence, pleases Lord Shiva. The auspicious occasion also marked the beginning of the 14-day Vedvyas Mela which draws crowds from adjacent Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Vedvyas Trust Board (VTB) secretary Anupam Ray said this year the Mela entered the 107th year, and is scheduled to attract over five lakh devotees. Over 650 vendors from across the country have set up kiosks. Given the religious tourism potential of the place, the Tourism Department has invested ` 1.5 crore on infrastructure development. The police and the district administration had a trying time to manage the milling crowds even as elaborate arrangements were put in place to facilitate communication to devotees and prevent any untoward incident.NAYAGARH: Lakhs of devotees thronged the Shaivite shrine at Sarankul, 8 km from here, to offer prayers to Lord Ladukeswar.The 15th century shrine, popularly known as Ladu Baba, is famous for housing both Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva) due to which devotees offer both ‘Tulasi’ and ‘Bael’ leaves to the deity. One of the most frequented shrines in the State, the temple is also considered unique as it does not have any doors. Devotees broke their day-long fast after the ‘Mahadeep’ was raised at 11 pm. A Bhajan Samaroh was organised and a large number of police personnel deployed to avert any untoward situation. Maha Shivaratri was also observed in other Shiva temples dotting the district. The prominent being the 8th century Gatiswara temple at Malisahi. The Shiva Linga in Gatiswara remains under water throughout the year except when it is taken out for Shivaratri.JEYPORE: Notwithstanding Maoist threat, around a lakh devotees from the State, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh thronged the Gupteswar shrine. Tribals of Darua, Kondh, Bhotra, Gadava, Gond and Shaura also visited the shrine to offer prayers.Security was beefed up following intelligence reports of Maoist presence in the shrine. DHENKANAL: Lakhs of devotees celebrated Maha Shivaratri at different shrines in the district. Serpentine queues were witnessed outside the Kapilas shrine since early morning. Nine platoons of police force were deployed to avert any untoward situation. The Chinmaya Mission temple administration conducted ‘Maharudravisekh’ puja in which, as many as 102 couples participated.
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