Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): In the series of traditional processions in Shravan-Bhadrapada, the sixth and last, the ‘Rajsi Sawari’ (royal procession) of Shri Mahakaleshwar was taken out on Monday evening. Lakhs of people were present on either side of the 7 km-long route as well as on balconies and terraces of houses.
Before the procession, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav worshipped Shri Chandramouleshwar in the Sabha Mandapam. District minister-in-charge Gautam Tetwal was among those present. Ghanshyam Pujari, Pt. Mahesh Sharma, and other priests conducted the worship. When Lord Shri Chandramouleshwar, seated in a silver palanquin, went on a city tour, the entire Ujjaini reverberated with the chants of Shri Mahakaleshwar.
On reaching the main gate of the Mahakaleshwar Temple, flowers were showered on Shri Chandramouleshwar from a helicopter, and devotees welcomed Shri Mahakaleshwar. There, the sawari was saluted by the soldiers of the armed police force and soldiers of various battalions of the state. Contingents of horse-mounted troops and armed police force personnel were marching past ahead of the palanquin.
The CM joined the sawari barefoot and played the drum and cymbals on the sawari route. Devotees played the drum, cymbals, and manjiras on the route and hailed Avantikanath Shri Mahakaleshwar.
In the royal procession, Shri Mahakaleshwar gave darshan to His devotees in six different forms. Shri Chandramouleshwar was seen in a silver palanquin, Shri Manmahesh on an elephant, Shri Shivtandava on a Garuda chariot, Shri Uma-Mahesh on a Nandi chariot, Shri Holkar State’s Mukharvind on a Dola chariot, and Shri Saptdhan’s Mukharvind.
The procession reached Ram Ghat via the traditional routes. At Ram Ghat, Lord Shri Mahakal was offered water from the Kshipra and worshipped by priests. A flower shower was done from a helicopter. More than 500 kg of rose petals were used in the flower shower.
In the sawari, the vehicle of Shri Mahakaleshwar temple went in the lead. After that, the traffic police, gunners, Lord Shri Mahakaleshwar’s silver flag, horsemen, special armed forces salute guard, Scouts/Guides, Seva Samiti band, 70 Bhajan Mandals, which traditionally participate in the sawari from various cities of Madhya Pradesh, followed, singing the praises of the Lord. After the Bhajan Mandals, the saints and dignitaries of the city, the police band, the city army’s salute guard contingent, and the pandas and purohits of Shri Mahakaleshwar temple followed.
After them came the main palanquin of Shri Mahakaleshwar (Shri Chandramouleshwar), Bharat Band, Shri Shiv-Tandav seated on Garuda on the chariot, Ramesh Band, Shri Uma Maheshwaroop on Nandi chariot, Ganesh Band, Shri Holkar State Mukharvind on chariot, RK Band, Shri Saptdhan Mukharvind on a chariot, followed by Rajkamal Musical Group Band, and Shri Manmahesh form seated on an elephant. An ambulance, a vehicle of the MPEB, the fire brigade, and the forest department also accompanied the sawari.
Four groups of tribal artists participated in the ‘shahi sawari’, in which Lamulal Dhurve Anuppur led the Dhuliya tribal Gudumbaja dance, Abhijeet Das from Bhubaneswar led the Shringari folk dance, Sumit Sharma and his friends from Harda presented the Danda folk dance, and Sadhuram Dhurve Balaghat led the Baiga tribal Karma dance.
All the tribal groups participated in the ‘shahi sawari’ through the Culture Department, Bhopal, Tribal Folk Art and Dialect Development Academy, Madhya Pradesh Culture Council, and Triveni Art and Archaeology Museum.
