The grand festival of Mahashivratri will be celebrated across the country on February 15. Considering the increasing crowds of devotees, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust released the timings for the four-part aarti (ritual worship) of Baba Vishwanath on Wednesday.
Baba’s Mangala Aarti will begin at 2:15 AM with the start of the puja and will conclude at 3:15 AM. After this, the temple will open for devotees at 3:30 AM.
The midday Bhog Aarti will begin at 11:40 AM with the puja and will conclude at 12:20 PM.
Chief Executive Officer Vishwa Bhushan Mishra said that devotees should pay special attention to these timings for easy darshan.
For the four-part aarti, in the first part, the conch shell will be blown at 9:30 PM, and preparations for the puja will begin. During this time, darshan of the deities will continue uninterrupted. The aarti will start at 10:00 PM and end at 12:30 AM.
In the second part, the aarti will start at 1:30 AM and end at 2:30 AM, and the darshan of the deities will continue. In the third part, the aarti will start at 3:30 AM and end at 4:30 AM, and devotees will continue to have darshan of Baba. In the fourth part, the aarti will start at 5:00 AM and end at 6:15 AM, and darshan of the deities will continue during this time.
Meanwhile, on the same day, a Shiv Barat is also taken out from various Shiva temples in the city. Devotees from all over the country come to witness the grand Shiv Barat that originates from the Tilbhandeshwar Mahadev Temple. In the evening, the Shiv Barat procession starts from Maidagin, featuring various tableaux. During this time, a spectacular sight can be witnessed on the streets of Kashi.