East Gaterr's Maha Shivarathri Experience

Maha Shivarathri is one of the biggest spiritual festival in Hindu Dharma. 
Every Shivarathri for me was a different experience since 2016.

Sri Sankara Narayanan, West Main Street

• In 2016 Maha Shivarathri, I was there at Shringeri’s Shankara Vidya Kendra’s Temple at New Delhi. After completing the 4 Kaala Poojas, I took a bus to my college, directly from the temple.

• In 2017 Maha Shivarathri, I was a part of Veda group in Malai Mandir, New Delhi. So we were Chanting Rudram for the 4 Kaala Poojas. Next day I slept for the whole day.

• In 2018 Maha Shivarathri, I experienced a totally exciting Shivarathri. Few students from our Veda Group in Malai Mandir goes to a Private party’s temple, where they used to chant Rudhram and do abhishekam and alankaram. I got the divine opportunity that year to do abhishekam and alankaram to Mahadev. In the month of February the winter makes our spine cool. Sitting in a wide open area, where the temple is located, chanting Rudhram and shivering all the time was totally fun filled experience. I miss those moments this time.

 

Random temple's decoration for poo Choridhal

2019 Maha Shivarathri

Maha Shivarathri this time was really cool.
 

Sri Vishwanathar, palliagraharam

This time, being in hometown, I had this opportunity to witness the First Kaala Pooja in a 400 years old temple, about which I’ve already wrote about in my previous post.

As the house, where we recently moved in, has a Shiva temple with his son Lord Ganesha accommodated, I had to do 4 Kaala Poojas in the house temple as well.
 

Sri Vishalakshi, Palli Agraharam

Big Temple Scenes

Crowded big temple on MahaShivarathri day

In between, I have visited the King of Thanjavur, Lord Brihadheeshwara. 1000s of people gathered together in the premises to energize Lord Brihadheeshwara. Brahan Natyanjali’s dance programs were going on as usual. 

I noticed different types of people there. Many people, came as a family, packed dinner for the whole night, brought bed rolls for sleeping. So almost those who thought they had come for picnic, slept in the temple itself.
 

People standing, sleeping, littering the big temple

Many college students, who were hanging out there with camera and with bunch of friends, came for photoshoots. 

Some tech-savvy people who were busy with their gadgets, listening to some cine songs inside the temple as if some party is going on. I found one girl peculiarly watching Tik-Tok videos sitting in the temple premises. Also these huge gathering of people resulted in huge dumping of garbages. The dhonnais’ and cups which were used for distributing prasadams were thrown over all the places. 
 

ThanjaPurishwarar Temple, Thanjavur

After witnessing ironic incidents I thought and prayed to the big guy Lord Brihadheeshwara and said him that “Brihadheeshwara nee dhan da Kapathanum”.

I’m not blaming anybody, people were at least present there in the temple for Shivarathri. Whatsapp-ing, texting and talking in phones are all different. But watching videos and listening songs is something out of the box for the place you were present in.

But I’m overwhelmed by the people who were dedicatedly meditating and chanting shlokhas and Sivapuranam.

In between each Kaala Poojas, My mom and I visited Shiva temples. 

Then we headed to Thanjapuriswarar temple. This temple where God of wealth Kuberan worshipped Lord Shiva with Goddess Lakshmi.

After that we went to Sri Vishalakshi sametha Vishwanathar temple. The special temple, which opens only for the Maha Shivarathri throughout the year, is built by Venkata Rao, who was the Prime minister of Raja Serfoji. We were blessed to have dharshan of this temple. This is the 400 years old temple I was talking about. Again, I have elaborately wrote about the temple in my previous post.

Then after completing the 4^th Kaala Pooja, We went and had dharshan of Bangaru Kamakshi and 3 temples of Kasi Vishwanathar that are located in the West Main Street of Thanjavur. 

Witnessed a simple and blessed Maha Shivarathri this time. 
 

Classic b/w picture of Bangaru Kamakshi

Yours East Gaterr