GORAKHPUR: Yogi Adityanath was made ‘Peethadheshwar’ of Gorakhnath Temple amid traditional rituals of Nath cult on Sunday and the same day Mahant Avaidyanath was given samadhi with full state honours. His samadhi is situated on the left of Mahant Digvijaynath’s samadhi.
“As per the tradition of Nath cult, Abhishek of Yogi Adityanath commenced with Tilokotsav in which five married men carried Yogi Adityanath to the seat and offered new dress and put tilak on his forehead. After tilak celebration, at around 10.25 am, five saints of Nath cult, including Chandji Maharaj, vice-president of Nath cult Mahant of Bohar (Haryana) and MP, Alwar, Mahant Narharinathji Maharaj, Chetainathji Maharaj, secretary Yogi Mahasabha, Mahant Gulabji and Mahant Swami Nirmalanandji Maharaj, Chunchun Giri, covered Yogi Adityanath with a sheet and made him Peethadheshwar (head priest),” said Ravindra Pratap, media in-charge, Gorakhnath Temple. The rituals completed with Yogi Adityanath performing parikrama of the body of Guru Gorakhshnath. All the disciples of the temple congratulated the new Peethadishwer.
After Abhishek ceremony, the preparations were made for the final journey of Mahant Avaidyanath. The rituals of putting Mahant Avaidyanath to samadhi started with prayer of all guru mukhi saints of all the cults at around 11.15 am.
Thousands of people participated in the journey, raising slogans in his praise. He was given Samadhi with full state hounours.
The prayer near the samadhi started with the tradition of Nath cult and at 11.50 am, the body of Mahant Avaidyanath was placed in the samadhi. Yogi Adityanath was the first to offer mud to the samadhi and after him others also offered mud.
All the MPs and MLAs of the area, state BJP chief Laxmi Kant Bajpayi, Vinay Katiyar, Dinesh, general secretary Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Narayan of RSS, Swami Chinmayanand Saraswati, Mahant Chandnath, Chetainath, Mahant Narharinath, Swami Nirmalanand, Swami Nritya Gopaldas, Mithileshnath, Kamalnath, Shantinath, Ravindranath, were present on the occasion.
“On September 16 as per the tradition of Nath cult, the ritual of ‘teiya’ will be performed and after a year a ‘bhandara’ will be held,” said media in-charge of the temple.