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Lakhs throng temples

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. Lakhs of people today observed fast, took holy dip in rivers and thronged temples across the country on the occasion of the ``Mahashivaratri even as police foiled an attempt by Shiv Sena men to offer prayers at the disputed shrine complex in Kashi.

In Varanasi, pilgrims made a beeline for different shrines, including Kashi Vishwanath, Mrtyunjay Mahadeo, Til Bhandeswar and Markandey Mahadeo, amidst tight security. A grand `Shiv Baraat' (marriage procession) was also taken out.

Over 200 Shiv Sena activists were arrested while on their way to offer `Jalabhishek' at the Kashi Vishwanath and Shringar Gauri temples, adjacent to the Gyanvapi mosque. The district administration had issued orders that nobody would be allowed to start any new tradition. However, no untoward incident was reported.

In Delhi, the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, attended a function while in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, thousands of worshippers wound their way up the Girnar mountain to pay obeisance at the Shiva shrine.

Thousands of devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharasthra thronged the hill shrine of Mallikarjuna Swamy at Srisailam, about 350 km from here. — PTI

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