Coimbatore, (Tamil Nadu), February 12 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and a host of other leaders will participate in the 33rd Mahashivratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Centre here on February 15, the organizers said on Thursday.
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan is also expected to attend the night-long celebrations, which will bring together devotion, music, and meditation.
For the first time, spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, who is spearheading the event, will conduct the 'Yogeshwara Linga Maha Abhishekam', a sacred ritual that will allow devotees to connect with the consecrated energy form, a release from Isha Yoga Centre said.
Another significant highlight of the celebrations will be the 'Adiyogi Divya Darshanam', a light and sound show that will bring to life the 112-foot Adiyogi statue, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017.
On Sunday, the programme will begin with the 'Pancha Bhuta Kriya', a ritual to honor the five elements – earth, water, fire, air, and space. Then, the festivities will be led by the 'Linga Bhairavi Maha Yatra', a grand procession. Diverse musical performances, blending the ancient with the contemporary, are also planned.
Some of the individual performances include playback singer Aditya Gadhvi's Gujarati folk music, Prashant Sonagra and his team with a traditional and folk drum collaboration.
Isha Yoga Centre's dedicated team 'Sounds of Isha' will collaborate with noted playback singers Swaroop Khan, Blaaze, to offer a program blending traditional folk with modern music.
Another highlight of the event is the 'Yaksha', a festival of Indian classical music and dance, featuring Purbayan Chatterjee on Hindustani Sitar, carnatic vocalist Bharat Sundar, and Bharatnatyam artist Vaibhav Aarekar, the release said.
At midnight on February 15, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will lead participants through the 'Mahamantra' initiation, and again at 'Brahma Muhurtam' between 3 am and 4.30 am, designed to utilize the unique planetary alignment.
Known as the great night of Lord Shiva, Mahashivratri is a unique planetary phenomenon when the natural energy of the human system is conducive for spiritual growth.
"We have the advantage of being at the foothills of the Villiangiri Mountains, known as the Kailash of the South, where Shiva himself spent over three and a half months," Vasudev was quoted as saying in the release.
"We are located at an altitude of 11 degrees (at the Isha Yoga Centre), which is very important because of the tilt that the planet has. And Mahashivratri is that day when this surge of energy is at its peak, and this will be the best place to be on that night," he noted.
