Mahasnan Yatra festival concludes peacefully in Dinajpur
The devotees had travelled there by buses and trucks on Saturday night. They participated in all-night kirtans, prayers and religious rituals before collecting holy water from the river after sunrise on Sunday.
The three-day 52nd Mahatripurarai Kailashpati Mahasnan Yatra festival of the Hindu community concluded peacefully in Dinajpur today (17 August) amid religious rituals, devotional songs and prayers.
Thousands of Hindu devotees gathered at the Bol Bom Sri Sri Goshtodham Shiva Temple beside Anand Sagar in Dinajpur town to offer holy water to the Shiva lingam and collect sacred water as part of the religious observances.
Temple priest Thakur Jagannath Brahmachari told BSS that the festival is observed every year on the Monday between Jhulan Yatra and Rakhi Purnima to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and its people and to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva.
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Thousands of devotees from Dinajpur and surrounding areas gathered at the temple premises. On Sunday evening, devotees carrying sacred water arrived at the temple after collecting it from the north-flowing waters of the Punarbhaba River near the cremation ground temple in Mahuagaon village of Birganj upazila, about 34 miles from Dinajpur town.
The devotees had travelled there by buses and trucks on Saturday night. They participated in all-night kirtans, prayers and religious rituals before collecting holy water from the river after sunrise on Sunday.
After taking a ritual bath in the river, the devotees offered prayers to the Sun God and collected sacred water. They then poured the water at a local Shiva temple, where it was sanctified by a priest before being carried back to Dinajpur.
Another group of devotees collected sacred water from the north-flowing Atrai River near Kaugaon-Sahebganj Hat, about seven miles east of Anand Sagar. They also made the journey to the Shiva temple barefoot after collecting the holy water.
On Sunday evening, devotees began a barefoot procession from the Bol Bom Sri Sri Goshtodham temple premises toward the Shiva temple, chanting "Bol Bom, Bol Bom," filling the area with a festive atmosphere.
The devotees spent the night at the temple premises, where they participated in kirtans and prayers. The formal ritual of pouring sacred water over the Shiva lingam began at 4am Monday.
Thousands of devotees offered holy water there while praying for their own well-being, the welfare of their families and the peace and prosperity of the country. Prasad was distributed among the devotees on Monday morning, marking the conclusion of the festival.
Devotees Ranjan Bhattacharya, Sulekha Ghosh and Prashanta Kumar told BSS that they participated in the rituals to earn religious merit and pray for the welfare of their families and the country. Some devotees also joined the festival seeking fulfillment of personal wishes, success in education and prosperity in life.
Ashok Agarwala, general secretary of the Dinajpur Bol Bom Seva Committee, told BSS that the Mahatripurarai Kailashpati Mahasnan Yatra festival was first introduced at the temple beside Anand Sagar in 1974. Since then, the festival has been held every year.
He said devotees believe that sincere prayers to Lord Shiva can fulfill their wishes, and the annual festival is organized based on that faith. This year, too, the festival was held peacefully and without any untoward incident.
Dinajpur Police Superintendent Md Zedan Al Musa told BSS that special security measures were taken to ensure the safety of the thousands of devotees attending the religious festival. Adequate police personnel were deployed around the temple premises, helping the event conclude peacefully with the distribution of prasad this morning.
