Mapusa: The festival of Mahashivratri was celebrated with religious fervour across the state on Sunday, but in a unique event held at the Ozran Beach, foreigners joined the local devotees to offer prayers to a Lord Shiva sculpture and a Shivling located on the shore.
Ozran Beach is located between the main Vagator Beach and Anjuna.
According to locals, the sculpture, which is a rock carving of Lord Shiva’s face, carved by a foreigner known as ‘Jungle man’, has always been an attraction for tourists visiting the beach. It is located on a seaside cliff on the beach.
On the occasion of Mahashivratri, devotees performed rituals, including a ‘milk abhishek’ on the Lord Shiva sculpture and the rock-carved Shivling.
A local Premanand Agarwadekar also organised a ‘mahapuja’ at his shacks where the locals and foreigners offered their prayers. According to the locals, the ‘mahapuja’ is an annual event organised on Mahashivratri.
A local said that a priest has been attending the Mahashivratri celebration at Ozran Beach and performing rituals for the last 25 years, travelling all the way from Gokarna in Karnataka.
Mahashivratri is celebrated to honour Lord Shiva, marking the ‘Great Night of Shiva’ when planetary positions cause a natural surge in energy, aiding spiritual growth. It signifies the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the overcoming of darkness/ignorance, and the night Lord Shiva performed the Tandava, the cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
