Intro:
Chief Minister performs Rudrabhishek at Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.
Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday offered prayers at the historic Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri.
The Chief Minister, who also serves as the head priest (Mahant) of the temple, performed the traditional Rudrabhishek of Lord Shiva in accordance with Vedic rituals. The ceremony was conducted amid the chanting of sacred mantras, creating a spiritually charged atmosphere within the temple premises.
After completing the rituals, Yogi Adityanath shared a message on social media platform X. He stated that on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, illuminated by the welfare consciousness of restraint, meditation and Shivatva, he performed Rudrabhishek with proper rituals and prayed for the welfare of humanity. Concluding his message, he invoked Har Har Mahadev.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister had extended greetings to devotees and residents of the state. In his message, he congratulated people on the sacred festival dedicated to the worship of Mahadev and prayed that the blessings of Baba Bholenath bring peace to every heart, strength to every life and auspiciousness to every path.
Mahashivratri, one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar, is observed in reverence to Lord Shiva and commemorates the sacred union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The festival symbolises devotion, self-discipline and spiritual awakening.
Across the country, celebrations were marked by deep devotion and enthusiasm as lakhs of devotees thronged prominent Shiva temples from the early hours of Sunday. Long queues of worshippers, special pujas, night-long prayers and holy dips in sacred rivers were witnessed at major pilgrimage centres.
Authorities made elaborate security and administrative arrangements to ensure smooth darshan and effective crowd management at key temples. Police personnel and volunteers were deployed in large numbers to regulate queues and maintain order, while medical and emergency services were kept on standby to assist devotees during the celebrations.