Bhubaneswar: Thousands of Bol Bom devotees, clad in saffron garbs carrying pots full of sanctified water on their shoulders, walked miles to reach different Shiva shrines across the state to offer prayers to Lord Shiva on the auspicious occasion of second Shravan Somvar today.
A large number of Kanwariyas were seen making a beeline before the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.
Keeping in view the large number of footfalls, the main door of the temple was opened since 3.30 am in the morning for‘Sahana Mela’ and ‘Jala Lagi’ rituals. The devotees were neatly arranged to fit into the two separated queues leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. “While one queue is for the Kanwariyas, another is for general public,” said a temple committee member.
“I have come from Balasore to offer prayers to Lord Lingaraj and have been standing here since three hours but I don’t feel tired,” said a Kanwariya.
Meanwhile, the Lingaraj temple administration has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a hassle free darshan for the devotees. Four platoons of police have been deployed in and around the temple to maintain law and order situation. This apart, 25 CCTV cameras have been installed in the temple premises to monitor movement of the devotees.
Similarly, the Lokanath Peeth in Puri witnessed a large gathering with about 30,000 Kanwariyas reaching the temple to offer water to the Lord.
“I have fetched the holy water from Gadgadia Ghat in Cuttack. We have walked miles to reach Loknath Temple but the journey was not at all exhausting. The devotion for Lord Shiva has tugged me here,” said a devotee who stood in beeline waiting for his turn.
As per reports, elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around the temple to ensure smooth darshan of the Lord. Barricades have also been made to regulate the movement of devotees.
Many other Shiva shrines including the Dhabaleswar Temple in Cuttack, Panchalingeswar Temple in Balasore, Kapilash Temple in Dhenkanal and Akhandalamani Temple in Bhadrak also buzzed with Bol Bom devotees.