In the Mahandragiri hills, the Mahashivaratri was celebrated in a unique style. Every year the observation of puja takes place a day before the Shivaratri with traditional pomp and gaiety.
lakhs of people from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh thronged the hills to worship lord Shiva on Thursday. This year due to the suitable weather, the devotees turned up in lakhs. Many of them came from south India.
Mahandragiri is 60 km from Paralakhemundi. There is no other way to reach the hilltop except on foot. However, the devotees can travel by bus or by various means of transport from Paralakhemundi up to Jiranga village or Kainpur village. The devotees have to stop near Burukhata Pass. To reach to the Mahendragiri peak where the festival is celebrated, the devotees have to walk 6 km.
The dense green forests and the natural beauty are most admirable in the Mahendragiri. The hills are referred to in the Mahabharat and the Ramayana. Panchu Pandabas had stayed for a while at Mahandragiri and built the idol of Gokanaswara Mahadeva and worshipped the lord.
According to a belief, if any one worships Gokanaswar, all his sins get redeemed. It is said that lord Rama and his army of monkeys had began their expedition to lamka to release Sita from the hill.
There is spot called Hanuman Kuda in Mahandragiri. It is also said that lord Parsuram had his meditation in the hill. The tribal inhabitants have the belief that lord Parsuram speaks to the people of Mahandragiri.
The statues of Bhima, Kunti, Judhistar, Parsuram, Mahandraswara and Mahandraswari are found on the hill.
lakhmi Baba of the Mahendra Ashram located on the mountain top said Shivaratri is held since ancient days on the hills. While the people observe penance for the Shivaratri, the next day they wait for a Hari-Hara Bhet. On Friday night, the devotees met lord Hari and lord Hara.
Gajapati district Collector Sudhanshu Mohan Samal, SP Sushil Kumar Panigrahi, DIPRO Biranchi Narayan Pradhan and others district officials were present at the Mahandragiri hilltop when the Shivaratri was observed on Thursday. Special security arrangements were made for the devotees. Various cultural programmes were also held by the district administration for the devotees. Free food and water were distributed among the devotees.
On Friday night, the Maha Shivaratri was celebrated at Gupteswar where at least one lakh devotees had gathered. The devotees came mainly from Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, besides from across the State.
local volunteers actively participated to make the festival smooth and different organisations like RSS, NR Creative etc helped the devotees in many ways.
Gupteswar is one of the ancient Shiva temples of Odisha, situated about 55 km from Jeypore. It is a limestone cave discovered some time ago and has a number of scenic spots around. The main attraction is the gigantic Shiva linga idol which is said to be increasing in size with every passing year.
On the Shivratri, different rituals are organised in the temple. On the day, the lord is decorated with gold ornaments. The cave is special for the underground water.
Surrounded by dense forest of sal trees and flanked by the Kolab river, a 5ft- high lingam stands in the cave. The shrine is called “Gupteswar” or “Hidden God” because the lord was lying hidden in the cave for a very long period.
One can reach it by climbing 200 steps flanked with rows of champak trees. People suffering from incurable diseases come here to worship the God and stay here for months in the hope of getting cured.