New Delhi: The country celebrated Mahashivratri on February 18, with great enthusiasm. From visiting the Shiva temples to the magnificent aarti in Varanasi and also the Sand Art Crafting at Juhu Beach, the festival was celebrated with devotion and fervour. Twitter and Instagram were flooded with wishes and posts amidst long hours of fasting. But, the most interesting bit of the entire celebration lay in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
The city lit up with 18.82 lakh oil lamps, providing an outstanding view, and setting a New Guinness World Record. This took place primarily along the banks of the Kshipra river and drew over 20,000 volunteers.
According to PTI reports, Guinness World Records adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar stated that the previous world record for the "largest display of oil lamps" was set in Ayodhya during Diwali 2022 when 15.76 lakh lamps were lit. He also announced that a new record had been set in Ujjain, with 18.82 lakh oil lamps being lit on Saturday evening.
The diyas were to be lit for a minimum of five minutes which was done successfully there, Dangarikar told PTI.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who attended the program with his wife, later informed that a total of 18,82,229 lamps were lit on the occasion.
Additionally, a laser show was also arranged and the entire event was planned by the local administration with the assistance of community groups. Also, the event was based on the "zero waste" principle, city officials told PTI.
Interestingly, the local authorities had set themselves a target of lighting 21 lakh oil lamps to mark the festival of Maha Shivaratri on Saturday, however, they managed to light 18.82 lakh lamps.