Ambernath: Special preparations for the Mahashivaratri festival are now in the final stage at the ancient Shiv Mandir complex located on the border of Ulhasnagar and Ambernath. Saturday is the Mahashivratri festival. Other Shiva temples have also been decorated in both cities. The local ancient Shiv temple has its own history of 963 years. Lakhs of devotees come here on the festival day for worship and darshan.

Mahashivratri is the festival of worship of Lord Mahadev i.e. Lord Shankar and the marriage of Shiva-Parvati. There is a centuries-old tradition of celebrating this festival in the Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi month of Phalgun as a celebration of the meeting of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva devotees fast on this day and get the blessings of the deity from him. The Jalabhishek program in the temples continues throughout the day.

Strict management of municipal administration and police administration.

The old Shiv Mandir is only a kilometer and a half away from the old premises of the Ambernath railway station. Once this area used to be a village, but some distance from the temple, tall buildings have risen. Apart from Ambernath-Ulhasnagar at this historical temple, people from other cities and rural circles in Thane and Raigad districts also come to enjoy darshan at the temple and fair held on the occasion of the festival. Children and young people are eager to enjoy the two-day fair. Small and large swings, chakri, continue to be the center of attraction of the fair. Prasad is distributed by the local citizens serving the visiting visitors. There is a tight arrangement of the municipal administration and the police administration.

Special facilities have been made for devotees visiting the temple to get darshan easily, barricades have been set up. For this, municipal employees and volunteers from the temple have been deployed, a team of doctors, firefighters will also provide their services at the fairgrounds. Tanker trucks for the water have been arranged. The municipal administration set up a help center on the premises of the temple. Citizens can take advantage of this if necessary. Parking facilities have been made and proper police arrangements will also be maintained at the temple and fair premises.

Sandeep Kamble, Deputy Director, Ambernath Township.

There is a darshan facility in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, but incense, coconut, milk, etc. is prohibited. Devotees are requested to follow the rules, celebrate the festival with faith and devotion.

– Vijay Chahu Patil, priest of the Shiv temple.