Amid chanting of hymns, seven priests from Gorakshpeeth Muth in Gorakhpur carried out purification rites at 5, Kalidas Marg before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s much awaited ‘grih pravesh’ on Monday.
“The puja was held in the morning. The pujaris reached lucknow early morning and immediately started the puja,” a security guard at 5, Kalidas Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister told The Pioneer. He said that the puja continued for almost three hours.
Nilanjan Pai, one of the associates of the priests, said that seven priests carried out the puja while four others assisted them. “It was primarily lord Shiva’s puja. Rudra Abhishek puja was also held as per the wishes of Chhote Maharaj (as Yogi is called in Gorakhpur). A hawan was also held,” he said adding that Yogiji was not present during puja.
All the ingredients of puja were brought from Gorakhpur. Even seven litres of cow milk and honey were specially brought from Gorakhnath temple to carry out the ritual. “It is normal to have a puja before one enters a new house. We offer prayers to Bhole Baba pleading him to shower his blessings on the occupant of this house,” Pai said.
As the puja continued, security personnel were amused. One of the priests even wrote ‘Om Shubh’ and put a Swastika sign on the gate in the morning. The House was decked up with marigold flowers. The décor of the sitting room has been changed. The curtains now have saffron tinge which were off-white during Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure.
Sources say that as Yogi’s day starts with feeding the cow and hence a few cow and calves would be brought from ‘gaushala’ of Gorakhnath temple.