Devotees throng for darshan on Shivaratri at Shri Hari Mandir

The sacred festival of Shivaratri was celebrated on 6th March 2008 in Shri Hari Mandir at Sandipani Vidyaniketan, Porbandar.

It is said in Sanskrit: ‘Utsavapriyaha khalu manavah’, meaning, all people are fond of festivities. In the Indian culture, festivities are not celebrated for mere fun and pleasure. Instead the underlying motive in celebrating Indian festivals is to obtain spiritual development. It is known that Lord Shiva, facilitator of emancipation, is easily pleased. He is also called Ashutosh, which means, one who gets easily pleased even with small offerings. Hence, Shivaratri is one of the important festivals which helps accomplish spiritual emancipation.

On the day of Shivaratri, the Shivalay inside Shri Hari Mandir was bedecked with beautiful decorations. Even before Lord Suryanarayan had began showering the temple with his divine rays, Lord Shiva’s lingam in the temple had began to be showered with the various amrits (nectars) of the earth, like milk, honey, yoghurt, sugarcane juice, ghee and water accompanied by Vedic chants. This continued till midday.

In the afternoon, the temple of Lord Shiva was transformed into a mini forest. Thus devotees felt that they were traversing a forest before getting the opportunity to do darshan of Lord Shiva. From 8pm to 2.30am, Lord Shiva was worshipped through the recital of the Shatarudriya (Laghurudra) mantras with homatmak (sacrificial) offerings. A steady flow of devotees came for darshan throughout the day until past midnight.