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NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 8, 2005: Chants of “Om Namah Sivaya” rent the air and young girls prayed to Lord Siva for the perfect groom at many temples across the city on the occasion of Sivaratri Tuesday. Over 10,000 Hindu devotees congregated at Gauri Shankar Mandir in Chandni Chowk in old Delhi and at least half that number thronged the Birla Temple to pray and seek blessings from Siva – also known as Nataraj, Shankara and Bholenath – for fulfilment and success in life. Fasting devotees – some of whom don’t even take a drop of water – were found immersed in prayers and thoughts of the Deity who conquered death. Temples were full of bel leaves, which are offered to the Lingam, the icon of Siva. Bel leaves are very sacred as, it is believed, Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth) resides in them.



Said Kishore Kumar of Birla Temple: “People have been coming to the temple since early morning. This is one day when bhakti (devotion) overwhelms and unites.” The Siva Lingam would be worshipped throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey and rose water as the chanting of the mantra “Om Namah Sivaya” (praise to Siva) continues. Bashful maidens fervently prayed to Ardhanarishwara, as Siva is also called, exemplifying “prakriti purusha” (female-male) oneness principle, for the ideal husband. Said Priya Joshi, a 20-something girl spotted at a Lajpat Nagar temple: “My parents want to get me married to someone I don’t like. Now, Shivji will make the right choice for me.”



This is also a propitious time for women to pray for the blessings of Siva for the birth of a child. Said Pallavi Aggarwal, a resident of R.K. Puram: “I have been married for three years, but have no child. This time round, I am sure Shivji will grant me my wish.” Sivaratri beckons the faithful to dissolve themselves into the divine darkness of Siva and experience the unbounded joy of creation.

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