Why Independence Day Came 4 Days Early at 2 MP Temples: Hint, Stars
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Independence Day 2026: Two prominent Madhya Pradesh temples began Independence Day celebrations early with prayers, flag hoisting and a Tiranga Yatra on August 11.
By Hitanshi Kothari
New Delhi, August 14: As India prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day on August 15, two prominent temples in Madhya Pradesh began their celebrations four days ahead of the national event. On August 11, the two shrines, one in Mandsaur district and the other in Ujjain, held special rituals and prayers, hoisted the national flag and organised a Tiranga Yatra to mark the occasion.
Both the temples, Pashupatinath Temple in Mandsaur and Bade Ganesh Temple in Ujjain, follow a distinctive folklore of celebrating Independence Day on the holy event of Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of Shravan as per the Hindu Calendar, instead of August 15.
When India gained Independence from the British rule on August 15, 1947, the day witnessed Shravan Krishna Chaturdashi in the Hindu calendar, said a priest.
So, if we calculate the days according to the Hindu calendar date, then Independence Day falls on August 11, reported news agency PTI.
At the ancient Pashupatinath Temple, located on the banks of the Shivna river in Mandsaur, around 250 km from Indore, special religious rituals were held on Tuesday to mark Independence Day.
Umesh Joshi, president of the Jyotish and Karmakand Parishad, an organisation of temple priests and devotees, said that the temple’s eight-faced ‘Shivling’ was specially decorated and worshipped as part of the celebrations.
Around 250 devotees attended the programme, where ‘prasad’ was also distributed.
“We performed an ‘abhishek’ of the Shivling with water containing ‘durva’, a type of grass used in worship, while chanting Vedic hymns. We also prayed for India to become a developed nation by 2047,” Joshi said.
He added that, according to Hindu belief, performing an abhishek of Lord Shiva with water containing ‘durva’ is believed to help devotees overcome difficulties.
Joshi said the tradition of celebrating Independence Day on Shravan Krishna Chaturdashi at the temple has been followed since 1985.
Meanwhile, the famous Bade Ganesh Temple in Ujjain also celebrated Independence Day on Tuesday, August 11, with traditional rituals and patriotic passion.
Priest Akshat Vyas, who is associated with the temple management, said the temple has followed a decades-old tradition of observing national festivals according to the Hindu calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly followed around the world.
He said Lord Ganesh is also worshipped at the temple as the “God of the republic”.
A Tiranga Yatra was taken out to the temple on August 11, with drumbeats and patriotic slogans, Vyas said. He also continued, saying, “After offering the national flag to Lord Ganesh, a special ‘maha aarti’ was performed. The tricolour was then hoisted on the main spire of the temple.” Vyas said.
(With Agency Inputs)
