Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 20 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday performed special rituals at the Gorakhnath temple here on Vijayadashami, praying for the well-being, peace and prosperity of the people of the state.
Adityanath, who is also the head priest of the Gorakshpeeth, performed the traditional worship of Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath, following the customs of the Nath sect. The special rituals at the temple continued for more than two hours, according to an official statement.
The ceremony began at the temple’s Shaktipeeth, where rituals dedicated to Adi Shakti had been underway since the first day of Sharadiya Navratri.
After offering prayers at the Shaktipeeth, Adityanath entered the sanctum sanctorum of the main Gorakhnath temple, accompanied by the temple’s chief priest Yogi Kamal Nath, other saints, Sanskrit scholars and students chanting Vedic hymns.
During the rituals, he offered various items of worship, including barley shoots grown at the Shaktipeeth, and performed the aarti.
He subsequently offered prayers at the temple’s eternal flame, the idols of various deities and revered figures of the Nath sect, the eternal sacred fire pit, the yagyashala and Bhim Sarovar.
The chief minister also paid obeisance at the memorials of his spiritual mentor, Mahant Avaidyanath, his predecessor Mahant Digvijaynath and other revered Nath sect figures, including Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath.
Traditional instruments, including the nagfani, conch shells, drums, bells and damru, accompanied the ceremonies, the statement said.
As part of the Vijayadashami observances, Adityanath also performed ‘gau puja’ at the temple’s cowshed, fed jaggery to the cattle and participated in their care. He also fed puffed rice to fish in Bhim Sarovar, it added.
(PTI News)
