With Mahashivratri approaching, Varanasi is gearing up to welcome thousands of devotees at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the most revered religious sites dedicated to Lord Shiva. Scheduled for February 26, 2025, this year’s celebrations promise significant changes, especially concerning the temple's traditional rituals.
Notably, the temple management announced through its official website, shrikashivishwanath.org, the cancellation of usual rituals such as the Saptarishi, Shringar Bhog, and Shayan Aarti on Mahashivratri itself. Instead, devotees can look forward to four special Aartis held throughout the day, making the day uniquely memorable. The first Aarti, known as Mangala Aarti, will commence early, at 2:15 AM, and will last until approximately 3:15 AM, followed by public access to the temple for darshan starting at 3:30 AM.
During the day, the temple will conduct three more Aartis — there will be the midday Bhog Aarti around 11:40 AM with expected completion by noon, and then the evening batch of Aartis will stretch from 11 PM up to the next morning (6:30 AM), offering continuous access to the sanctum for devotees throughout the night.
The local authorities, led by City Development Minister A.K. Sharma, held meetings to strategize arrangements for the festival, reflecting their commitment to ensuring the families of Mahakumbh devotees visiting Varanasi receive adequate services. Emphasizing cleanliness and accessibility, Sharma instructed relevant departments to launch intensive cleaning operations around temples. The Minister urged thorough patchwork of roads leading to the temples and solution to sewer overflow issues to prevent any hindrances during the festivities. He stressed the importance of water tankers being available for devotees depending on necessity.
The administration is also ramping up security measures to handle the substantial crowd expected during Mahashivratri. Local police led by SP Sankalp Sharma conducted inspections at temples, ensuring proper safety protocols are established. To manage the expected influx, they outlined plans for creating two lanes for incoming devotees, followed by four additional queues, ensuring orderly access to the temple environment and preventing any unauthorized actions by pickpockets.
According to Sharma, the temple precincts will be monitored via CCTV cameras and modified with effective barricading to maintain crowd control. To limit traffic issues during the festival, access to the city will be restricted for large vehicles, and road barriers placed at strategic points will direct traffic smoothly through alternative routes.
All these collective efforts reflect the seriousness with which the local authorities engage with such significant cultural and religious events like Mahashivratri. Given the historical significance of this festival, where millions participate annually, the preparations symbolize Varanasi’s heritage and its essence for worship. With heightened communication between administrative bodies and temple officials, it promises to be both spiritually fulfilling and logistically efficient.
Despite the many changes, the appeal of experiencing Mahashivratri at Kashi Vishwanath Temple remains ever-potent, drawing devotees eager to mark this important date. The changes, focused on enhancing the experience and safety, are expected to provide the comfort and sanctity the day demands. Consequently, as devotees gear up for the auspicious occasion, the hopes are high for peace and reflection inspired by the worship of Lord Shiva.