Why these 2 MP temples celebrated Independence Day on August 11 instead of August 15

At the ancient Pashupatinath Temple, located along the Shivna river in Mandsaur, special prayers and rituals were held on Tuesday. The temple’s eight-faced Shivling was decorated and worshipped as part of the celebrations.

As per PTI, around 250 devotees attended the programme. Umesh Joshi, president of the Jyotish and Karmakand Parishad, an organisation of temple priests and devotees, said, “We performed an ‘abhishek’ of the Shivling with water containing ‘durva’, a special type of grass used in worship, while chanting Vedic hymns. We prayed for India to become a developed nation by 2047.”

According to Joshi, Hindus believe that performing an abhishek of Lord Shiva with water containing durva helps devotees overcome difficulties. He added that the temple has followed the practice of celebrating Independence Day on Shravan Krishna Chaturdashi since 1985.

The Bade Ganesh Temple in Ujjain also observed Independence Day on August 11, with devotees participating in religious and patriotic activities.

Priest Akshat Vyas, who is associated with the temple management, said the shrine has for decades marked national festivals according to the Hindu calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. He also said Lord Ganesh is worshipped at the temple as the “God of the republic”.

A Tiranga Yatra was organised to the temple amid drumbeats and patriotic slogans. “After offering the national flag to Lord Ganesh on Independence Day, a special maha aarti (grand worship ritual) was performed. The tricolour was then hoisted on the temple’s main spire,” Vyas said.