Devotees from Mithilanchal celebrate Lord Shiva’s ‘tilakotsav’ at Deoghar

DARBHANGA: A large number of devotees from Mithilanchal reached Baba Baidyanath Temple at Deoghar on Tuesday to participate in the annual ‘tilakotsav’ ritual of Lord Shiva on the occasion of Basant Panchami ahead of Mahashivaratri to be celebrated on March 11.

Mritunjay Purohitwar, a panda (priest) at Deoghar, told this newspaper on phone that people from Mithilanchal consider Goddess Parvati as their sister and Lord Shiva their brother-in-law (bahnoi) and they come on foot to Deoghar and offer ‘tilak’ (a kind of engagement ceremony) to him on Basant Panchami ahead of their marriage on Mahashivaratri.

“The devotees from Mithila bring ghee from their houses and pour it on the Shivalinga along with abir and gulal on the occasion of ‘tilakotsav’. After coming out from the sanctum sanctorum of Baba Baidyanath temple, they play Holi with abir and gulal. The celebrations were held with great fervour on Tuesday as well,” Purohitwar said.

Maintaining the tradition of participating in ‘tilakotsav’ at Baba Baidyanath temple, a large number of people from Darbhanga had started their ‘kanwar yatra’ on foot on February 5. Before embarking on the kanwar yatra, the locals at Darbhanga and neighbouring districts in Mithilanchal offered the devotees chura (flattened rice), dahi (curd) and gur (jaggery).

The kanwariyas reached Sultanganj on Mauni Amawasya day on February 11 and after took the Ganga water from there before heading for Deoghar on foot. They reached the holy shrine on Tuesday and participated in the ‘tilakotsav’ ritual.

Manikant Jha, a noted Maithili singer and Darbhanga icon of Election Commission, told this newspaper over phone from Baba Baidyanath temple that a large number of people from different corners of Mithilanchal worshipped Baidyanath Jyotirlinga and joined the ‘tilkotsav’ celebrations.

“Centuries ago, one Durmil Jha from Jarail village in Madhubani district started the practice of going to Deoghar on foot from Mithila, naming it ‘kanwar yatra’. From his childhood, Dumil used to go to Deoghar from Sultanganj every year. Following the footsteps of Durmil, kanwariyas from Mithilanchal region move on foot carrying the Ganga water,” Manikant said, adding that he has also been attending the ‘tilakotsav’ at Deoghar since 1989.