Women dressed in festive clothes, furious business at fruit shops, songs of Shiva near temples was the order of the day as the city prepared for an all-night vigil or Jagaran as part of Maha Sivaratri celebrations.
In various Siva temples, special late night programmes were organised and witnessed by hundreds of devotees.
“This time I might not be able to attend the jagran in a temple. For people like me, there are late night TV shows that feature movies about the life of Lord Siva and his teachings, katha (story) sessions,” said K. Padma, a homemaker from Ramanthapur.
Entertainment platforms including BookMyShow (BMS), Paytm Insider, have both movie shows lined up through the night and special events like live spiritual music and DJ, meditation sessions, bhajans and talks/story sessions about Lord Shiva in different parts of the city. One of them was ‘Maha Sivaratri gatherings’ that featured psytrance music producer and DJ Sankar Narayan and psytrance DJ Mrityunjay.
Earlier, there were no DJs playing upbeat songs about the Lord back then, said M. Manju, a homemaker from Alwal.
“Traditionally, Maha Sivaratri has been a day dedicated to fasting, prayers, and offerings at temples. Devotees, particularly women, would observe a strict fast and perform elaborate puja rituals. The focus was on personal devotion and spiritual introspection. However, in recent years, the celebration has become more public and community-oriented. Elaborate decorations adorn temples, with some organising cultural programmes featuring devotional music and dance performances. Additionally, special food stalls and temporary markets offering puja items have sprung up across the city,” she said.
From the break of dawn, Siva temples decked up with lights and lamps, and a variety of flowers, including the historic Ramalingeshwara temple atop Keesaragutta and others in every corner of the city, witnessed massive influx of devotees lined up to offer fruits and milk to the Siva lingam. The city echoed with spiritual fervour as devotees engaged in bhajans that lasted till midnight.
Amid the celebration, fruit and flower vendors made huge profits as the demand soared and devotees flocked to purchase them despite the escalated prices.
The Telangana government had declared holiday on March 8, however, the police officials informed that additional force was deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the festivities at prominent temples across the city.
