‘Bol Bom’ devotees throng Shiva temples in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 14:

Devotees thronged Shiva temples across Odisha on the first Monday of the holy month of Shravan today.

Large queues of Shiva devotees with pitchers hung from bamboo sticks slung across their shoulders were seen patiently waiting for their turn to pour the holy water on the Shiva Linga at the Lingaraj temple here and other temples in the city and elsewhere.

A majority of the devotees coming to Bhubaneswar and Puri procured the holy water from the Gadagadia Ghat on the Mahanadi in Cuttack to pour on the Shiva Linga.

The National Highway No 5 that passes through Cuttack and Bhubaneswar was a sea of saffron as devotees last night as devotees carried the holy water on their shoulders on what is popularly known as the ‘Bol Bom’ trip.

Every year, thousands of Shiva devotees pour holy water on Shiva Lingas across the state on the four Mondays (sometimes five) of the month of Shravan.

The annual ritual has attracted more and more people with each passing year with women and children joining in in large numbers in recent years.