Thousands of Shiv devotees visit Kranti Chowk throughout the day
Aurangabad, Feb 19:
The whole city was immersed into celebrations on the Jayanti of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Friday. Thousands of followers were marching towards Kranti Chowk from morning to late in the night to bow down to the great Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Chants of 'Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji', 'Jai Jijau, Jai Shivrai' filled the air all day long. Not only Kranti Chowk, but the entire city witnessed unprecedented celebrations. The city saw one of a kind devotion and strength of Shiv followers.
This year, the celebrations were held in a grand manner as people were not able to celebrate Shiv Jayanti for the last two years. The installation of a new equestrian statue of Shivaji Maharaj at Kranti Chowk added to the festivities. Remarkably, the statue has become the tallest statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the country. Hence tremendous enthusiasm spread among all Shiv followers. For the past two days, people had been gathering at Kranti Chowk. There was an unprecedented enthusiasm among the admirers on Friday as celebrations continued till late on Friday night and also continued on Saturday with the same grandeur. People were coming to Kranti Chowk and offering flowers and garlands to the statue. Everyone was bowing down to the statue of Chhatrapati. In the evening, a sea of people had gathered at Kranti Chowk. The crowd again swelled on all four roads in the night.
Tulja Bhavani temple becomes centre of attraction
The temple of Goddess Tulja Bhavani on the west side platform in Kranti Chowk and the idol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were eye-catching. Everyone coming to Kranti Chowk was taking Darshan of the goddess. A replica of the main entrance of a fort was erected on the platform of Shivjayanti Utsav Samiti. There, too, the enthroned statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj stood out.
Several vehicle rallies mark celebrations
Hundreds of vehicle rallies were organised from different parts of the city throughout the day. The number of four wheelers was significant. There was a spontaneous participation of youths from the city as well as adjoining villages. Saffron flags of 3 to 5 meters length were hoisted on each two-wheeler and four-wheeler. The youths in the rally offered wreaths to statues in Mukundwadi, Jaibhavaninagar, Cidco Avishkar Colony, N-7, Jadhavwadi Agriculture Produce Market Committee and Cantonment and were finally arriving at Kranti Chowk.
Fireworks continued all day
The sound of firecrackers filled the air on Friday midnight as citizens celebrated the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The bursting of crackers continued on Saturday as well.
Selfies with Bal Shivaji
Many small kids dressed as Bal Shivaji attracted everybody's attention. Selfies and videos with the kids were being uploaded to various social media sites. Even the police personnel were unable to resist the urge to click selfies with the kids.