Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): After a dominating a victory over Afghanistan in the second T20I, four Indian youngsters including leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, left-hand batter Tilak Varma, all-rounder Washington Sunder and wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma on Monday offered prayers to Baba Mahakal at Mahakaleshwar temple located here on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Notably, Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The cricketers sat in the 'Nandi Hall' of the temple and worshiped Baba Mahakal on the occasion and also participated in early morning 'Bhasma Aarti' and took the blessings of Lord Shiva.
Importance of Bhasma Aarti: This Aarti is performed by 10 Naga Sadhus. They beautify Lord Mahakaleshwar (Lord Shiva) with the Bhasma amidst Vedic chants and 'stotras' and sounds of cymbals, conchs and damroo. Bhasma Aarti is performed every morning (except the second day of Mahashivaratri) from 4:00 am to 6:00 am and attending this ritual in Mahakaleshwar is the desire of every devotee.
This Aarti holds significant importance as it is believed that those who watch Bhasma Aarti will never die a premature death.
Priest of the temple Sanjay Sharma said, "Today, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the doors of Baba Mahakal were opened in the Brahma Muhurta and after that a holy bath of Lord Mahakal was performed with panchamrit, which include milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey and with the sesame seed. After decoration, the Bhasma Aarti was performed and sesame seeds were also offered to Baba Mahakal on the occasion."
The priest further said that prayers were offered to Baba Mahakal for his blessings to be showered on everyone in the world. After attending the Bhasma Aarti, the cricketers told news agency ANI, "It was a pleasure to be here and we took blessings of Lord Shiva." The cricketers arrived here after their match against Afghanistan at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday evening. India won the match by six wickets and sealed the three-match series. The third and the final game will be played at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 17.
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