Telugu NRIs celebrate Maha Shivaratri with grand rituals in UAE

Devotees throng BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi to offer Rudrabhishekam

Dubai: Thousands of Telugu NRIs along with other Indian Hindus celebrated Maha Shivaratri festival in the Gulf region on Wednesday.

BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi reverberated with the chants of ‘Hara Hara Mahadeva’ on the occasion. The devotees started to throng the place from early morning to offer Rudrabhishekam at the temple. Also, the faithful families offered Laghanasya Rudrabhishekam at their homes early morning.

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“We are fortunate enough to celebrate Hindu festivals with traditional rituals in local temples in UAE,” said Raja Srinivas Rao of Warangal, who lives in Abu Dhbai.

Krishna Mandir in Bur Dubai and Hindu Temple in Jebel Ali in Dubai also recorded massive influx of devotees. High turnout is expected in late evening hours after fasting, said SV Reddy, noted Telangana social worker in Dubai.

The Shiv Mandir, the oldest Hindu temple in the Gulf region, in Muscat, also known as Motishwar Mandir, witnessed a huge crowd. The police made special arrangements for parking.

Srikrishna Temple in Bahrain also held special ‘arti’ on the eve of Shivaratri, said Kotagiri Naveen of Nizamabad district, a leading Telugu social worker associated with Hindu spiritual groups in Bahrain.