CHICAGO: Devotees celebrated the festival of Maha Shivaratri, at the Hari Om Mandir on Tuesday February 13 with great joy and enthusiasm doing Abhishekam of Shiva Lingam as per the Hindu tradition. They bathed the Shiva Lingam with holy water, milk, honey besides offering Chandan and Bel Patra
They chanted prayers, mantras and the temple was reverberating with the sound of Om Nama Shivaya. The Mandir Management had made special arrangements and set up a temporary Durbar for the devotees to perform the Pooja and Shiva Abhishekam.
Pandit Raghubir recited the Holy Mantras and helped devotees to perform the rituals, as per the scriptures and traditions. A special Bhajan Sandhya was organized in the evening. Subhash Sharma started the program by singing the “Shiv Stuti and Chalisa”. He was then joined by Madhu Salwan and Rama Kapur, who sang several bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. As Shama Sharma and Mona Sharma sang the traditional “Shub Vivah” of Shiv and Parvati, devotees started dancing with joy. Hanuman Chalisa was recited by Suchitra Sarkar.
Special Thandai, Kheer and Fruit Prasad was distributed. The devotees relished the same.
Suresh Bodiwala
