‘Shiv Jyoti Arpanam’ festival will be organised on the holy festival of Mahashivratri in Ujjain, the city of Lord Shri Mahakaleshwar. Lamps will be lit from house to house on the banks of the Punya Salila Maa Kshipra in places of worship, temples, and the city as part of this. On this auspicious occasion, a goal of lighting 21 lakh earthen lamps has been set.
On Mahashivratri, the city of Ujjain, which is home to the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, the abode of Lord Shiva, will be illuminated with 21 lakh diyas (earthen lamps). On Mahashivratri, which falls on March 1 this year, the city will be illuminated at 7 p.m. For about an hour, all of the diyas will be lit.
Volunteers are also being trained for this purpose. Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav stated that this programme is being organised at the request of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. All segments of society will be involved in this. On both sides of the river Kshipra, 13 lakh earthen lamps will be lit.
In addition, lamps will be lit at the city’s places of worship, including the Mahakal Temple, Mangalnath Temple, Kaal Bhairav Temple, Garh Kalika Temple, Siddhavat Temple, Harsiddhi Temple, and major public places. The city’s residents will also light 5 lamps in their homes. Citizens have also filled out pledge letters through the Ujjain Municipal Corporation.
Yadav informed that people have been connected with Shiv Jyoti Arpanam Mahotsav through a massive outreach campaign. More than 17 thousand volunteers have registered. These include representatives of various voluntary organisations, students, sportsmen, professionals and social organisations, representatives of religious institutions, saints of all akhadas etc. Blocks and sectors were made for lamp lighting arrangements at Ramghat, the main venue.
Volunteers have been appointed in each sector. There will also be a supervisors with them. The Ujjain district administration is gearing up to script history by illuminating 21 lakh earthen lamps from Mata Mandir Ghat of the Shipra River to Ramghat. The administration is planning to get the name of the city registered in the Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of Records.
As per the Ujjain district administration, three lakh earthen lamps will be installed at different places, houses and establishments. It will take 12,000 volunteers to light up the diyas. For this, the responsibility has been given to the District Panchayat, Education Department, Municipal Corporation and Smart City.
Ujjain District Collector Ashish Singh said that initially the plans were for illuminating 15 lakhdiyas but considering the people’s enthusiasm, the number was increased to 21 lakh. Singh claimed that a rehearsal was done by putting 1,000 diyas on the banks of Shipra river.
” A person can light about a 100 diyas. Twelve lakh diyas will be lit at different ghats, 51,000 in Mahakal temple, one lakh at Freeganj tower, other temples including Mangalnath, Chintaman, Kalbhairav, Bhukhi Mata, Harsiddhi temple,” Singh said. In the Shiv Jyoti Arpanam Festival, the programme has been designed by targeting ‘Zero Waste’. Identity cards of volunteers will be recycled through QR App. After the festival, the lamps will be used for home composting, making pots, kulhads (earthen vessels) etc.
The remaining oil from the programme will be used in Gaushalas, among other places. Empty oil bottles will be recycled as part of the 3- R process. To light the candles, paper matchboxes will be used. For food and drink, only biodegradable cutlery plates will be used.
All aspects of the event are being planned in accordance with the Ministry’s guidelines (Zero Waste Programme Standard Operating Procedure SOP)