Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Devotees visiting the Mahakaleshwar Temple will now get free ‘poha’ for breakfast, courtesy the Temple Management Committee.
Till now, food was served to the devotees only in Shri Mahakaleshwar Annakshetra. For this, they were given tokens. The breakfast facility also started on Thursday.
Annakshetra in-charge Manish Tiwari said that the facility of free snacks had been started for the devotees who participated in the ‘Bhasmaarti’ of Lord Mahakal held every day.
The number was less on the first day due to Ekadashi and the devotees not being aware of the decision. However, about 300 devotees had breakfast between 6 and 8 AM. In the coming days, as the devotees will get to know about the decision, their number will also increase.
Till now, devotees had to get coupons for food but now they will have to get coupons for breakfast too. Deputy administrator Simmi Yadav said that breakfast coupons would be distributed to the devotees from the counter built on the temple premises. Visitors can have breakfast by depositing them in the Annakshetra.
‘Somayag-Saumik Suvrishti Yagya’ underway
A six-day ‘Somayag-Saumik Suvrishti Yagya’ started at Shri Mahakaleshwar guest house located in Shri Mahakaleshwar Annakshetra on Thursday morning. For this, scholars from South India prepared juice from the Somavalli plant.
With this juice, offerings were made in the yajna by the Pravargya method. The site of the yajna was first plastered with cow dung. Somayagya is a ritual performed for good rains, improved farming and the well-being of the people. In Sanatan culture, kings and emperors used to perform yagna for the well-being of the people.
Somayagya is being organised in 12 Jyotirlingas to end the uncertainty of monsoon in the country and invoke the gods for good rainfall. Shripad Avdhoot, who is looking after the management of the yajna, said that so far the yajna had been performed in 6 Jyotirlingas.
Rituals being performed under ‘Somayag-Saumik Suvrishti Yagya’ | FP Image
It started simultaneously in Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple and Shri Somnath Jyotirlinga of Gujarat and will continue till April 29. The yajna is being performed from 8 AM to 1 AM and from 3 PM to 7 PM.
Later, it will be performed in Baidyanath, Nageshwar, Kashi Vishwanath and Kedarnath Jyotirlingas. To test the changes in the environment due to Somayagya from a scientific point of view, two types of equipment have been installed outside the yajna site which are used to measure environmental pollution.
This will help in knowing how much change took place in the environment before and after the yajna.
