Ahmedabad:
On the lines of the maha aarti performed on the Ganga ghat in Varanasi, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the trustees of the Jagannath temple here have decided to conduct a similar ritual on the Sabarmati river bank once a month starting tomorrow.
The first maha aarti tomorrow will be attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel, an official press release said.
"We are grateful to the Chief Minister Anandi Patel for accepting our invitation to be a part of the maha aarti to be performed on the Sabarmati riverfront near Sardar bridge," Jagannath temple's trustee Mahendra Jha said.
Ms Patel, along with the chief priest of the temple Dilipdasjee Maharaj, will perform the aarti at 6.45 pm in the presence of other dignitaries and citizens.
The idea of maha aarti on the banks of Sabarmati was floated by the trust around a month back during a joint meeting with the AMC officials, he added.
"Just like Varanasi, where maha aarti is performed on a daily basis on the banks of Ganga, we requested the AMC officials to let us start such a ritual here. We are glad that our request has been accepted," Jha said.
However, unlike Varanasi, it will be held only once in a month here, he added.
The Varanasi Ganga maha aarti takes place every sunset at holy Dasaswamedh ghat near Kashi Vishwanath temple. It commences with the blowing of a conch shell, and continues with the waving of incense sticks in elaborate patterns and circling of large flaming lamps.