Sunday 26 February 2006 marked the celebration
of 'Maha-Shivratri' at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in
Neasden, London. The day began with the sacred abhishek of the
Shivalinga amidst the chanting of Shiva Mahima Stotram by the
sadhus. Every visiting devotee offered billi-patra on the Shivalinga;
rudrabhishek was performed with pouring of holy water and milk
in which the sacred rivers of Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati, Godavari,
Kaveri, etc. were invoked. The atmosphere rang with divine chants
from the Vedas.
Throughout the day, devotees had the opportunity
of Annakut darshan in which a colourful variety of 'falahar'
items was offered at the shrines of Ghanshyam Maharaj and Shiv-Parvati.
The ice Shivalinga on display at the entrance
was a great attraction, evoking memories of Amarnath in India
where a natural ice Shivalinga exists.
In the special assembly held in the evening,
the significance of Shivratri was explained in the discourses
along with the singing of bhajans. Tony McNulty, MP for Harrow
East and Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and
Nationality joined the celebrations and also addressed the august
gathering. Before leaving, each visitor was given prasad and
a special pocket calendar.
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