Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The festivities of Hartalika Teej started early in the morning on Tuesday. There was a crowd of women and girls observing fast at the ancient Saubhagyaeshwar Mahadev temple located in Patni Bazaar area since early morning. The doors of the temple were opened at midnight. The worship of Saubhagyaeshwar Mahadev on Hartalika Teej has special significance.
On the occasion of Hartalika Teej, married women keep fast for unbroken good fortune and young women keep fast with the wish of a good groom, along with worshipping Shiva Parvati and listening to the Katha. This time Hartalika Teej Hasta Nakshatra has come in the presence of Moon in the auspicious Virgo zodiac. By worshipping Teej mata, one gets the desired results. It is believed that this fast is observed for the attainment of the desired life partner for unmarried girls and to increase the good fortune for married women.
According to Umesh Pandey, the priest of Saubhagyaeshwar Mahadev Temple, the Shivling located in the temple is of sandstone. On Hartalika Teej, the temple is visited by many women to worship the sand Shivling. It is believed that by worshipping here, Lord Shiva gives the boon of good luck. The fasting women worship Lord Shiva Parvati by staying fast throughout the day and later staying awake in the night doing bhajan-kirtan and the next morning the fast is ended by worshipping in the nearby lake and the Kshipra river.
