Devotees offer prayers at Mahakaleshwar temple in MP’s Ujjain on PM Modi's birthday
Sep 17, 2023
Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 17 : Devotees offered special prayers to Baba Mahakal (Lord Shiva) in the Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain on the 73rd birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Visuals showed a devotee, offering prayers during the famous 'Bhasma aarti' of Mahakaleshwar temple with a photo of PM Modi and the Indian flag in his hands. 
"...I took part in Bhasma Aarti with family...today is our PM Modi's birthday and we extend our wishes to him from Baba Mahakal..." he said. 
Another devotee thanked the Prime Minister for the development of India and extended her greetings on the PM's birthday.
Special puja and anointment were done in the Bhasma Aarti where Baba Mahakal was decorated with dry fruits and hemp.
'Bhasma aarti' (offering with ashes) is a famous ritual in the temple that is performed during the 'Brahma Muhurta' between around 3:00 and 5:30 in the morning.
Earlier, on Sunday, children in West Bengal's Siliguri also celebrated PM Modi's birthday in a unique way by wearing PM Modi's masks and donning attire similar to that of the PM and cutting the cake as a part of the celebration.
President Droupadi Murmu also extended greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 73rd birthday.
Taking to 'X', the President wrote, "Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister @narendramodi on his birthday. May you pave the way for the holistic development of Bharat with your far-reaching vision and strong leadership. May you always lead a happy and healthy life and benefit the countrymen with your wonderful leadership".
In addition, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also extended birthday greetings to the PM and wished him good health and a long life.
UP CM, while calling PM Modi an “architect of new India”, said that the dedication and vision of PM Modi for building a 'developed India' is incomparable.
“Happy birthday to the great devotee of Maa Bharati, the architect of 'New India', the dreamer of 'Developed India', committed towards 'One India - Best India', the most popular politician of the world, the famous Prime Minister of the country Shri @narendramodi ji,” Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X in Hindi.
