Henceforth, only water purified using Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology will be allowed for the Jalabhishek (worshipping with sacred water) of the Shivalingam (symbol of deity Shiva) at the famed Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
Each devotee will be permitted to carry only 500ml of the RO water that will be provided near the sanctum sanctorum through a pipe.
The use of milk or panchamrit (a mixture of honey, liquid jaggery, milk , yogurt and ghee) too will be restricted to 1.25 litre per devotee, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday, in a bold step to preserve the Shivalingam, following reports that it is shrinking.
This apart, the court replaced the use of sugar powder to be rubbed on the Shivalingam with Khandsari (unrefined raw white sugar made from thickened sugarcane syrup). The Bhasma Aarti (offering of ashes) will be performed with a dry cotton cloth covering the entire lingam and no wet offering will be laid on the lingam beyond 5 pm. Fans and dryers will constantly work in the sanctum sanctorum to keep the stone dry and belpatri (wood apple leaves) and flowers will adorn the upper part of lingam to “avoid any obstruction in natural breathing of the stone”.
The SC put curbs on water, milk, sugar, honey, and ghee offered by devotees at the temple, acting on a report prepared by a team of archaeologists, earth scientists and geologists who visited the temple. The Committee of Experts found that the stone was exposed to raw water, large quantities of milk and panchamrit, that was eroding the stone’s surface. Even during the famous Bhasma Aarti, the lingam was partially covered, leaving the moisture on the surface. The experts also observed that the use of sugar powder on the lingam was detrimental to the stone.
The Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and l Nageswara Rao appreciated the efforts of the expert committee and lauded the temple management that showed readiness to implement the committee’s recommendations. Making the recommendations of the committee as part of its order, the Bench directed the Archaeological Survey of India and Geological Survey of India to give their objections or suggestions with regard to upkeep of the temple within 15 days. “We have entertained this petition just to preserve the lingam only,” said the Bench, which ordered setting up of a sewage treatment plant and RO plant during Simhastha (religious fair).