First time in 53 yrs, ‘invisible salutation’ at iconic K’taka temple

Bengaluru, Jan 14 : The annual spectacle of ‘Surya Majjana’ or ‘Suryabhisheka’ (Sun Ablution) that was to occur in Bengaluru’s famous centuries-old Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple did not occur this time as cloudy weather set in just 20 minutes before the scheduled timing between 5:20 pm to 5:27 p.m. on Thursday.
Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple’s chief priest, Somasunder Dixit told reporters that in his 53 year long career as priest of this temple, this was the first time Sun God has offered his “invisible” salutations.
“This (invisible salutation) has scared devotees who had come from various parts of the state to witness this annual event. I am also shocked because this had never happened in the last 53 years of my service in this temple,” he said.
According to him, he was witness to two major events in his life, one in 2019, in which ‘Sunbeams’ fell on chief deity Shiva for nearly three minutes, which was the longest ever Surabhishekam, we all witnessed. “In the following year, we faced an invisible enemy called Coronavirus, which disrupted everything in the world. The second being Sun god giving invisible salutations may be a sign of impending war, in which several might lose their lives,” he predicted.
He further appealed to all Shiva temples across India to organise Rudrabhisheka, Maha Mrutyunjaya Homa and Ati Maharudra Yaga on all auspicious days to reduce the impact of ill-omen on our country.
Rudrabhishek is the famous puja and worship performed to Shivling by giving a holy bath. This is one of the most powerful forms of worship in Hinduism and is believed to bless the devotees with prosperity and peace and remove the sins of many births.