Pandits celebrate Hairath in Kashmir

SRINAGAR — Maha Shivratri (Hairath) was celebrated with religious fervor across the Valley on Friday.

Kashmiri Pandit devotees went to temples early in the morning to mark their presence before the deity. Hundreds of devotees went to Kher Bhawani temple at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.

Special mantras were recited at Shankar Aacharya, Hanuman Mandir and Ganpat Yaar temples, which were followed by prayers in the evening. Muslims exchanged Hairath greetings to their Pandit friends in different localities of the Valley.

The temples were decorated days before with different colours and flowers. “The occasion is celebrated throughout the country in general and has a special significance for Kashmiri Pandits,” Sanjay Tickoo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit said.

“In the Valley on the 2nd day of the festival, a special occasion called Salaam or Watak Pooja is performed in every Pundit Gharana,” he said.

“Maha Shivaratri calls for a night devoted to worship of Lord Shiva. This event happens to be in the intervening night of 13th and 14th of the month of Phagun. Shivaratri holds immense value for Hindus and is a big day for the devotees of Lord Shiva.

It is believed that Lord Shiva married Parvati on this night who prayed enthusiastically for the wellbeing of Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, when Parvati asked Lord Shiva which ritual he liked best, Lord Shiva proclaimed that the services and rituals performed by his devotees on the 14th night of the Phagun month delighted him the most.

On this day, the devotees take an early morning bath and throng into the nearby Shiva Temple in order to seek blessings from Lord Shiva and make offerings to the deity.

“The devotees strictly perform all the rituals of Maha Shivratri as it is considered to be an auspicious day to worship Lord Shiva, and it is assumed that they will be cleared of their past sins,” a religious minded elderly lady Shashi Moza believes.

Keertans are a major highlight which features chanting, reading of the verses and singing bhajans in the praises of Lord Shiva. Chanting of the mantra ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is very prominent on this day.

One is supposed to remain awake all through the night on Maha Shivratri and keep a night long vigil. Fasting is firmly observed throughout the day and the devotees break their fast early next morning by eating the prasad that was offered to the idol.