India, Feb. 26 -- VARANASI Chants of 'Om Namah Shivay' and 'Har Har Mahadev' reverberated across Varanasi on Wednesday as a large number of devotees, including Naga sadhus, celebrated Mahashivratri by offering prayers to the deity at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple while thousands thronged the Ganga ghats, taking a holy dip on the auspicious day. Since midnight, serpentine queues stretching over 3 km were formed outside the temple, as doors remained open for an uninterrupted 46-hour darshan.

The district administration and the temple trust, under chief minister Yogi Adityanath's guidance, implemented strict security measures as this year's Mahashivratri in Kashi coincided with the Mahakumbh's return flow, leading to an unprecedented surge of...