Devotees flock to witness annual spectacle - The Times of India
BANGALORE: It was the moment devotees waited for one long year. The Sun God bathed the Shivalingam before fading on the auspicious day of Makara Sankranti, which marks the beginning of six-month long Uttarayana, according to Hindu calendar.
On Saturday, thousands of devotees thronged the centuries-old Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple at Guttahalli to witness this annual spectacle.
As the clock struck 5pm, chief priest Somasundara Dixit chanted slokas and explained the importance of the event when the Sun rays slowly made their way into the temple. At 5.25pm, after touching the Nandi idol's horns, the rays bathed the Shivalingam even as the devotees chanted "Shambo Mahadeva", praising Lord Shiva, the God of destruction.
At about 5.35pm, the rays slowly made their way out and the devotees moved into serpentine queues to enter the temple and have darshan of the deity.
"See there. The Sun rays are touching the swamy," Shivanna, an elderly person from Srinagar cajoled his three-year-old grandson Ajay, who was watching the giant screen installed in the temple with folded hands. "I have been a regular visitor here for a decade," he recalled.
P R Ramesh, former city mayor, was also one among the devotees. "I have come with family members to seek blessings," he replied even as he was greeted by well-wishers.
"We have been witnessing this event for the past three years. It has considerably changed," said another devotee Rajesh as he accompanied his friend Armugam to join the queue to have a darshan of the Shivalingam after the event. Many young couples with children and newly married couples thronged the temple to take blessings of the Lord.
DIGITAL DARSHAN
"We expected 7 to 8 thousand people for this event. For the past four years, we have been using television facility to help all the devotees have a glimpse of the event. This time we arranged two large screens and eight LCD TVs for the benefit of the general public. Because of this facility, the number of people visiting the temple has increased considerably," N Venkoba Rao Sindhey, secretary of the Shree Gavi Gangadhareshwara Swamy Pallakki Utsava Samithi, told STOI.
The organizers also distributed `yellu-bella' (sesame and jaggery) among the devotees who attended the event.
UNIQUE STRUCTURE
Sri Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple was built in such a way that on Makara Sankranti, the Sun's rays penetrate through Nandi's horns, while lighting up the Shivalingam. The unique phenomenon can be witnessed only for a particular period between 5pm and 6pm on this day. The ancient temple was cut out of monolithic rock, believed to be in the 9th century. The main deity is Shivalingam along with a Nandi idol. The temple also houses a rare idol of Agni, the lord of fire.
On Saturday, thousands of devotees thronged the centuries-old Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple at Guttahalli to witness this annual spectacle.
As the clock struck 5pm, chief priest Somasundara Dixit chanted slokas and explained the importance of the event when the Sun rays slowly made their way into the temple. At 5.25pm, after touching the Nandi idol's horns, the rays bathed the Shivalingam even as the devotees chanted "Shambo Mahadeva", praising Lord Shiva, the God of destruction.
At about 5.35pm, the rays slowly made their way out and the devotees moved into serpentine queues to enter the temple and have darshan of the deity.
"See there. The Sun rays are touching the swamy," Shivanna, an elderly person from Srinagar cajoled his three-year-old grandson Ajay, who was watching the giant screen installed in the temple with folded hands. "I have been a regular visitor here for a decade," he recalled.
P R Ramesh, former city mayor, was also one among the devotees. "I have come with family members to seek blessings," he replied even as he was greeted by well-wishers.
"We have been witnessing this event for the past three years. It has considerably changed," said another devotee Rajesh as he accompanied his friend Armugam to join the queue to have a darshan of the Shivalingam after the event. Many young couples with children and newly married couples thronged the temple to take blessings of the Lord.
DIGITAL DARSHAN
"We expected 7 to 8 thousand people for this event. For the past four years, we have been using television facility to help all the devotees have a glimpse of the event. This time we arranged two large screens and eight LCD TVs for the benefit of the general public. Because of this facility, the number of people visiting the temple has increased considerably," N Venkoba Rao Sindhey, secretary of the Shree Gavi Gangadhareshwara Swamy Pallakki Utsava Samithi, told STOI.
The organizers also distributed `yellu-bella' (sesame and jaggery) among the devotees who attended the event.
UNIQUE STRUCTURE
Sri Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple was built in such a way that on Makara Sankranti, the Sun's rays penetrate through Nandi's horns, while lighting up the Shivalingam. The unique phenomenon can be witnessed only for a particular period between 5pm and 6pm on this day. The ancient temple was cut out of monolithic rock, believed to be in the 9th century. The main deity is Shivalingam along with a Nandi idol. The temple also houses a rare idol of Agni, the lord of fire.
