Devotees throng Shiva temples on 'Maha Shivarathri' day

February 20, 2012

Mangalore, February 20: It is that time of the year again when the Hindu festival of 'Maha Shivarathri' is celebrated. A large number of devotees thronged Shiva temples across the coastal district to mark the festival.

'Abhisheka' was peformed to Shiva on the occasion of Shivarathri celebrations at Kadri Sri Manjunatheshwara Temple in Mangalore on Monday. As customary to the Hindu faith 'abhisheka' symbolises the ritual of showing devotion to the deity.

A huge number of devotees made a beeline for Sri Manjunateshwara Temple at Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.

Maha Shivaratri, is a festival during which devotees give up food and sleep, to engage in prayer and worship of Shiva for spiritual purification. It is an auspicious day as the spiritual practices are performed to please the 'lord'. It is said that Shiva is the deity with a third eye in the middle of the forehead and when he opens that, all evil forces will be destroyed. Hindus believe that it is a rare occasion for the individual soul to be aware of the supreme consciousness.

Maha Shivaratri normally arrives during the month of Margashira, according to the Hindu calendar. Devotees can be seen singing in Shiva's praise and they worship the lord in a customary style. One of the ways the customs are followed is the offering of 'Bilva' leaves to 'lord' as a mark of supreme consciousness.

There is a belief that during this time individual soul unites with the supreme soul. Many devotees observe fasting since morning and also offer 'Ekka' flower to the idol of Shiva. 'Rudrabhishekha' and 'Shivapooja' are offered to the idol. Many devotees purchase the pooja items which are usually sold outside the Temple premises.

A common way of temples marking the festivities is the performance of 'Homas' like 'Maharudra' Homa. Temple committees also offer 'Shata Siyalabhishekha' which involves offering 100 coconuts to Lord Shiva. Temple authorities also perform 'Bilvapathra archane' in which garlands of Bilva leaf are offered to the deity. The Shiva-parvathi idols are decorated in a grand way and people come in large numbers and wait in queues to get a glimpse of the idols. Another common practice by devotees is visting famous shiva temples like 'Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala'. The Shivarathri festival is also considered as a time when all the sins of the devotees are cleansed. For this devotees take a special dip in rivers if the temples are near a river like in Kshetra Dharmasthala. If there is no river then in temples like Kadri Manjunatheswara, pools of water in the temple premises are used to have the pious bath. Above all it is the faith in Lord Shiva which matters the most in such occasions for Hindus.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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