In a unique way of paying their obeisance to lord Shiva on the occasion of Maha Shivratri, large numbers of devotees are busy preparing shiv lingas made up of mud at Tapkeshwar temple. The temple committee plans to prepare 1.25 lakh such shiv lingas. The head priest of Mata Vaishno Devi cave temple located in Tapkeshwar, Acharya Vipin Joshi said that people from all walks of life are engaged in making the lingas. On Sunday the Garhwal Commissioner C S Napalchiyal and his wife spent considerable time in the temple compound and prepared Shiv lingas.
Joshi said that soil of termitarium from Dholeshwar Mahadev Temple is specially brought to prepare the lingas. Narrating the significance of these Mud Shiv lingas he said that goddess Parvati prepared mud Shiv lingas and worshipped them in order to please lord Shiva to accept her as his wife, similarly lord Rama prepared this linga at Rameshwaram and offered his prayers before constructing bridge over the sea to launch an attack on Ravan’s lanka.
The priest who started this practice 18 years ago said that the work on preparing these lingas would go on till afternoon on Shiv Ratri and after that Abhishek of these would be done by offering Milk, curd and Ghee. A student of law in Delhi University Shivangi Pandey said that she was happy to be a part of preparing the mud Shiv lingas.