MP: Tribal artists make Lord Mahakal's procession more special in Ujjain

Ujjain, July 22 (IANS) On the occasion of the traditional procession of Lord Mahakal during the holy month of Shravan, the devotees were thrilled with the glimpses of the religious and cultural folk dance of tribals in the religious city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday.

The performance of eight cultural groups of Tribals from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh presented mesmerising performances using traditional instruments, making the spectators dance.

A group of tribal artists from Nashik in Maharashtra performed Saungi Mukhauta Nritya, while the artists from Haryana won the hearts with their Haryanvi Ghoomar flock dance near the temple premises when the traditional processes of Lord Shiva were underway.

The artists from Rajasthan dressed in traditional attire presented the Gair-Ghoomra dance, Gujarati artists showcased the Rath Tribal dance.

At this auspicious occasion, a group of artists from Rajasthan added more beauty with their stunning traditional dance performance. Shankha Dhwani from Odisha's Tribal artists and Lokpanthi dance from Chhattisgarh made the occasion memorable for the spectators.

Additionally, Tribal artists from Chhatarpur, Jhabua and from some other districts made the procession more joyful to the participants.

A police band of 350 personnel performed devotional hymns like Namah Shivaya, Har Har Shambhu Deva Mahadeva, Om Jai Shiv Omkara, and others.

The entire city of Ujjain turned spiritual during the procession, with thousands of devotees playing traditional instruments and walking along with the Palaki. Pilgrims from outside Ujjain also thronged for a glimpse of Baba Mahakal.

The procession passed through Gudri Chauraha, Bakshi Bazaar, Kaharwadi and reached Ramghat, where Chief Minister Mohan Yadav performed abhishek (ritual bathing) of Lord Chandramouleshwar with the holy waters of River Kshipra.

On the other side of Ramghat, at Datt Akhada Ghat, Vedic chanting was conducted, and devotional songs dedicated to Lord Shiva were presented by artist Laxmi Talreja.

The Palaki ’s arrival at Ramghat was marked with conch-blowing and aarti.

The Chief Minister, along with Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and several other BJP leaders, walked barefoot throughout the procession route, engaging in devotional singing and worship of Baba Mahakal.

Observing that a large number of pilgrims, even from outside Madhya Pradesh coming to participate in the traditional process of Lord Mahakal year, the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday discussed making an elaborate arrangement for the next occasion.

"I have been participating in Ujjain's traditional procession for the past 40 years, and I noticed more and more participants every year. Therefore, the cabinet discussed strengthening the security of pilgrims visiting there. The government is also planning to popularise this procession on the lines of other popular processions in different parts of the country," Kailash Vijayvargiya said on Tuesday.

--IANS

pd/dan