Over 3L devotees participate in G20-themed Shiva Baraat in Varanasi
The 10-km long Shiv Barat, which picked up from the Til Bhandeshwar temple, saw the participation of people from all religions. Be it jogis, Sadhus, Sikh Gurus or Maulvis, all seemed to be drenched in the festivities of Maha Shivratri.
VARANASI The spiritual city of Kashi reverberated with chants of Bam Bam Bhole (praise to Lord Shiva) and Har Har Mahadev (take away my sorrow and ignorance, Lord Shiva) as devotees carried out the famous Shiva Baraat on the occasion of Maha Shivratri on Saturday. In all, 3 lakh devotees participated in it.
Interestingly, the theme of this year’s Shiva Baraat in the city was India’s G20 presidency. “It was altogether a different Shiv Baraat this year due to the G20-colour theme,” said Dilip Kumar Singh, the chief organiser of Shiva Baraat.
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The procession, which painted the town red, began at 7:30 am on Saturday and continued for another 18 hours. Singh said this time, famous poet Pandit Sudama Prasad Tiwari, also known as Saand Banarasi enacted as the groom in the baraat (procession) while Badruddin Ahmed played Goddess Parvati, and 80-year-old Amarnath Sharma ‘Daddy’ imperonated Sahballa.
The 10-km long Shiv Barat, which picked up from the Til Bhandeshwar temple, saw the participation of people from all religions. Be it jogis, Sadhus, Sikh Gurus or Maulvis, all seemed to be drenched in the festivities of Maha Shivratri. The baraat that was almost 10-km-long saw over 100 tableaux, 150 snake charmers, 100 monkey charmers, elephants, horses, camels, bulls, cows, ghost-vampires, drummers, bandbajas, Aughads, Nagas, Jinn, Sadhus, wrestlers, players, poets, sadhvis, professors, writers, musicians, storytellers, Bhojpuri stars, and even foreign artists.
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The Shiv Baraat was also broadcasted live worldwide. People hailed the celebration, calling it ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience being part of the Shiv Baraat that beautifully showcased the culture and tradition of Kashi. It was a colourful event and all artists enacted so well as if they were real,” said Saurabh Mehta, a tourist who visited Kashi from Ujjain.
Several other tourists too admired the Shiv Baraat and said that such programs should be organised to make the present generation aware about their religion and culture. The 10km long Shiv Baraat eventually concluded at Chittaranjan Park, covering many areas -- including Maidagin, Chowk and Gaudoliya. The procession culminated with the Jaimala (bride and groom exchanging garlands) ceremony at midnight.
