Amid pealing of temple bells and chants of 'Har Har Mahadev', devotees thronged temples across the country including in the national capital to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivratri, amid enhanced security following a high terror threat.
Soaked in religious fervour, devotees cutting across ages, from Kashmir to Assam stood in long queues outside 'shivalayas' as bedecked streets and temples wore festive look.
In Delhi, long queues of men, women and children were seen at main temples including at the Chhatarpur Temple where faithfuls made offerings to the deity and distributed sweets.
Temples in Dehradun such as Tapkeshwar Mahadev Mandir, Prithvinath Mahadev Mandir and Siddheshwar Mahadev Mandir also saw huge gathering as people waited for their turn to offer holy waters of the Ganga and milk to Lord Shiva.
The annual festival marks the mythical wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and is considered one of the holiest festival by the Hindu community.
India remained on high alert owing to a terror threat on 'Mahashivratri' today as temples and strategic places were under tight vigil amid inputs that 10 LeT and JeM terrorists have entered India from Pakistan through Gujarat which saw an unprecedented security cover.
Ancient shrines dedicated to lord Shiva in riverside towns like Haridwar, where the Ardhkumbh Mela is underway, and Rishikesh witnessed an unending stream of devotees throughout the day.
Lakhs of devotees descended on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar to take a holy dip in the river.
A bath in the Ganga on Mahashivratri during Ardhakumbh holds special significance for devotees this year due to the coincidence of Shivayog and Mahamrityunjay Yog.
On an alert following intelligence inputs about LeT and JeM terrorists having entered the country through Gujarat, security was beefed up throughout the mela area in Haridwar especially on the most popular ghats like Har Ki Pauri, Subhash Ghat, Malviya ghat and Mahila ghat where lakhs of devotees gather on important days like this for a holy bath.
(REOPENS DEL38)
A large number of devotees also thronged temples across Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh on the occasion. The famous Saketri temple in Chandigarh was bedecked for the celebrations.
Huge rush of devotees was seen at temples in Kurukshetra in Haryana where they took a dip in the sacred 'sarovars'. In Yamunanagar also, devotees took a dip in the Yamuna river.
In Maharashtra, thousands of devotees thronged temples across the state including the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik.
The festival was also celebrated with much much gaiety at the Grushneshwar temple near Aurangabad, which is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas'.
Similarly, devotees queued up at various temples in Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and other towns to offer prayers to Lord Shiva.
