By Kiran Kumar
Shivamogga: Mahashivratri is celebrated all over the city. As part of the festival, various worship rituals were being held for the Shivalinga at the Ishwaravan in Abbalagere, Shivamogga taluk. Various endangered trees and plants have been grown in the Ishwaravan. The speciality here is that Shivaratri is celebrated by banning the use of plastic and worshipping nature.
Eight years ago, Navyashree Nagesh bought an acre of land in Abbalagere with his own money and, with the hope of doing something for the survival of nature, approached many forest officials and brought and planted endangered plants in the forest. Around 90 different species of trees including Bilvapatra, Rudrakshi, Atti, Bilwara, Shivani, Bamboo, etc are grown here in Ishwaravan.
Navyashree is protecting the trees in Ishwaravan through the Navyashree Charitable Trust that he has established. He is managing Ishwaravan by collecting money from the trustees. This trust has been supporting the campaign and struggle for the preservation of nature, environment, land and water in the district.
Nature means God, Shivaratri celebration with nature: The Shivalinga in the Ishwarvan has been allowed to be anointed with water brought from Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh Mela was held. Along with this, awareness is being created about the importance of preserving plants and trees. Nameplates have been put on the trees so that each plant and tree here can be introduced.
Here, after seeing the plants and trees, one is allowed to gaze upon the Lord Eshwar. After seeing the plants and trees, one takes a pledge to conserve nature, reduce plastic use, protect water and soil, and then is given the opportunity for abhisheka.
Since this morning, Rudrabhishekam, Rudra chanting, and Shiva's devotional songs are sung to celebrate Mahashivratri. A quiz program is being conducted to create interest in nature among the people and youth. Blood donation is also being conducted as worship of Lord Shiva alone is not enough. Navyashree Charitable Trust distributed prasadam to all those who come to Ishwaravan from morning to evening. Hundreds of school children have visited Ishwaravan for the last five or six years and have gained information about nature.
"We celebrate Shivaratri under the Lord Shiva principle. Shiva means the benevolence of nature, devotion, sacrifice and detachment. Nature is the creation of God. Today, along with the worship of Lord Shiva, we organised a blood donation camp for philanthropy," Navyashree Nagesh, the founder of Ishwarvan, told ETV Bharat.
"Those who come here with devotion are allowed to perform abhishekam to Lord Shiva. Before the abhishekam of Lord Shiva, they make a resolution to save nature and then are allowed to perform a jalabhishekam with water brought from Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. We have been performing the worship of nature for the last eight years. We are getting a good response from the people. Today, there was worship and bhajan everywhere. But here, the work of seeing the Supreme God with nature and saving nature is being done," added Nagesh.
A devotee Vasavamba said, "We have come to Ishwaravan on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. We have come here to worship God amidst nature. Here we have been given the opportunity to perform Abhishekam on the God. This feels like a merit from our previous birth. The atmosphere here is very good. Just by stepping into this forest, we get a kind of positive energy. We worship God in a place of nature."
Another devotee Lakshmi said, "This is my first time here. As soon as I arrived, I was happy to see the atmosphere here. Lord Shiva is being worshipped amidst nature. Puja and bhajans are performed in the temple. But it is a joy to see the puja taking place here amidst the deciduous trees. Along with the puja, blood donation and the program for nature are all going well."
