Mahashivaratri puja held peacefully at Ladle Mashak dargah in Aland

KALABURAGI: Hindu leaders, led by Veerabhadra Shivacharya of Kadaganchi Math in Aland taluk on Wednesday offered prayers to the Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga at the Ladle Mashak dargah in Aland amid tight police security on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. On Tuesday, the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka high court had allowed the puja by a group of 15 people.

As per the high court directive, the puja was allowed between 2 pm and 5 pm on Wednesday and the Hindu groups had submitted a list of people who would offer puja earlier in the day to the authorities. This time, however, Andola Math seer Siddalinga Swami stayed away from the ritual as the waqf tribunal had denied him permission.

On Wednesday, 10 Hindu leaders entered the dargah and offered prayers to the Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga. Speaking after the puja, Veerabhadra Shivacharya said, “We offered bilva leaves and conducted Rudrabhisheka, Ganga puja and Vigneshwara puja. There are obstacles to conducting the puja, otherwise lakhs of devotees would converge here. In the coming days, a Shiva temple will definitely come up here”.

Tight security arrangements were made under the supervision of Kalaburagi SP Addur Srinivasulu and Raichur SP Puttamadaiah M and 1,150 police personnel were deployed. The Mahashivaratri celebration passed off peacefully with no untoward incident.