Bhavnath’s Shivratri fair to be held in Junagadh as per Covid guidelines. Permission to hold Shivratri fair has been given by Collector on behalf of Gujarat government. For last two years Shivratri fair was not held due to Coronavirus pandemic.
Saints and ministers had demanded to hold the fair. Testing facility of Covid in a tent setup by government in public interest has been given.
During Shivratri festival in Gujarat and India, Bhanath Mela has its own religious significance and it is very famous among devotees. The mela lasts for five days. Every year mela is held at the Bhavnath Mahadev temple in the foothills of Girnar around 8 km from Junagadh and which culminates on the Mahshivratri day with great show of devotional and festivity by Naga sages. Mela started today with the performance of the traditional ritual of religious flag hoisting amid slogan shouting, vedic chants. After the main temple dwajarohan was also done in Juna, Aavahan and Agni Akhadas, Annaksheetras and other places. The fair commences from the Hindu calendar date of Magh Vad 11 which coincided with March 3 this year. Attended by around a million devotees and sages the fair culminates on Mahashivratri (March 7 this year) when it is believed that in the moonless night Lord Shiva performed his tandava, the cosmic dance of destruction, a mahapuja is performed. This ritual begins at midnight on Mahashivaratri every year, when naga bavas, or naked sages, seated on elephants and decked in ornaments, arrive holding flags and blowing conch shells, tungis, and turis, the sounds of which reverberate through the entire space.
Devotees believe that Lord Shiva himself visits the shrine on this occasion. Girnar is said to be the abode of the nine immortal nathas, and eighty-four siddhas, all of whom also visit the temple in their invisible spirit forms during Mahashivaratri. Offerings are made to the deities, and the festive energy is expressed through performances of dance, music and traditional bhavai theatre. Before going to the fair, many pilgrims visit the holy hills of Girnar.
Visitors are served free meals by the organizers which is called ‘Harihar’ locally. Special stalls sell idols of god and goddesses, rosaries brought from Ayodhya and Mathura, and delectable sweets. The evening leading up to the midnight ritual of Mahashivaratri, at the wrestling grounds, or akhada, next to the temple, the naga bavas gather for a ritual involving a blend of dance and martial arts. According to myths, the Shiva linga (body) in the ancient temple is said to have emerged of its own divine intention. It is said that once when Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were traveling over the Girnar Hills their divine garment fell over the present Mrigi Kund, making this place an auspicious site for Shiva worshipers. Even today, the naga bavas bathe in the holy Mrigi Kund before joining the Mahashivaratri procession. The fair itself is so ancient that its precise origins are unknown.
Most devotees are from different parts of the country, particularly from Gujarat and Marwad in neighboring Rajasthan, have been coming to the fair for many years. While many come clad in lively colors, the Ahirs and Mers of the Junagadh district are the most striking among them.The district administration has also made elaborate security arrangements to prevent and check any untoward event in the wake of large gatherings during the fair. Total 75 CCTV cameras have been installed in the Mela area. Over fourty police spots have also been created.
In Gujarat , Parikrama in Junagadh starts from Hindu calender day of Kartak Sud Agiyaras. The Green Parikrama is joined by many saints, sects and followers.
There is big kitchen catering with Maha Prasad of Khichadi -Kadhi and Rotla to the thousands of pilgrims attending Girnar Parikrama coming far away places and from all around Gujarat.
Pilgrims to Girnar Parikrama belongs to all age group starting from young to old. They join Parikarma great festivity and devotion and dedicate religiously themselves at the feet of Lord Bhavnath Mahadev for 7 days. There is an ancient Lord Bhavnath temple in Junagadh.
Mount Girnar Parikrama, also known as Lili Parikrama, a trip to Girnar is held on Kartak Sud Agiyaras, every year at Bhavnath, Junagadh. The Girnar Parikrama travels around mount Girnar. The trip is 36 kilometres long. The parikrama starts from Girnar Parikrama Gateway, Rupayatan, and ends at Girnar Taleti, Bhavnath.
Lili Parikrama or Girnar Parikrama is a 7 day long festival held at Mount Girnar in the Junagadh district of Gujarat, India. The pilgrimage involves a climb of 4,000 steps to reach the top to the sacred Mount Girnar venerated by both Hindus and Jains. The Jains call it Mount Neminath.
