New Delhi: Amid chants of ‘Om Namah Shivay’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’, tens of thousands of devotees thronged temples across the country on Wednesday to offer prayers to Lord Shiva on Mahashivratri to seek his divine blessings.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the celebrations as he performed ‘Rudrabhishek’ at the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur amid religious mantras. Adityanath said lakhs of devotees have reached Prayagraj, Varanasi and other temples across the country and added that “this faith is a symbol of India’s unity”. In Prayagraj, more than one crore pilgrims took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion as the 45-day Maha Kumbh inched towards its closure. Mahashivratri commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and holds special significance in the context of the Kumbh Mela.

Varanasi saw a grand early morning procession led by ‘naga sadhus’ and ‘akharas’ to Kashi Vishwanath Temple which was decorated with lights and flowers. The air rang with chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ as the sadhus carrying tridents, maces and swords performed ‘Jalabhishek’. Kashi Vishwanath Dham CEO Vishwa Bhushan Mishra said that all arrangements, including barricading and water facilities, were in place to ensure devotees’ comfort.

The temple saw a huge number of visitors, with darshan continuing through the night. Similar scenes were also witnessed in the state capital Lucknow with people queuing up outside the Shiva temples to offer milk, water and ‘bel’ leaves to the ‘shivling’. The holy city of Ayodhya witnessed a massive influx of devotees on Mahashivratri as thousands gathered to offer prayers at temples across the city.

The temple town was adorned for the occasion, with major Shiva temples illuminated and decorated for the festival. Officials estimated that around 1.5 million devotees had reached Ayodhya by Tuesday, with the crowds swelling further on Wednesday. Prayers were also held at Kartikeya Mahadev temple in Sambhal which was recently reopened after 46 years. President Droupadi Murmu greeted citizens on the occasion of Mahashivratri and wished that the country would continue to move forward on the path of progress.