Shiva temples across Odisha witness huge rush

Bhubaneswar, Aug 08:  On last Monday of the holy month of Shravan, Shiva temples across Odisha witnessed a huge rush. Large numbers of devotees thronged the temples chanting Bol Bom Har Har Bom. On the last Monday of the holy month, many devotees keep fasting and offer milk, water, wood apple leaves as they believe this is the best time to please the lord. Shiva devotees visited Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar, Lokanath temple in Puri, Dhabaleswar temple in Athagarh, Kapilash temple in Dhenkanal, Gupteswar temple in Koraput and Harishankar temple in Bolangir. As per the belief, wishes get fulfilled easily by offering prayers on 'Shravan Sombars'. Every Year, saffron clad devotees called Kawariyans walk miles barefoot to pour holy water on the Shivling. "I keep fast on Mondays of the whole year. Last Monday, I went to Lokanath temple of Puri and offered prayer to the lord. After two years, the opportunity is here to have darshan to the lord on Shravan Somabar. Today on the Sesha Sombar, I went to the Shiva temple near my home. May lord Shiva keep everyone happy and healthy," said Rajiv Sahu, a devotee of Bhubaneswar.    “It’s believed that if you worship Lord Shiva with all your heart and mind, he will definitely bless you. I believe that Lord Shiva dispels all negative qualities in living beings. So, we need to worship and urge him to remove our impurities if we want to live peacefully," said Shivangi Mishra. Keeping the rush in mind, the administrative officials of different temples have made necessary arrangements to ensure smooth movement of the devotees amid the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.