sharavani mela special feature
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Answer:
For nearly a month ending August 15, in the temple towns of Dumka and Deoghar in Jharkhand, one of India’s largest pilgrimages, the Shravani Mela, was underway.
Hindu mythology tells the story of the ocean being churned by the asuras and devas, using the Mandara mountain range (in modern-day Cameroon), lassoed by the serpent king Vasuki. According to one version, the churning produced 14 different types of rubies, 13 of which were given to demons while one, Halahal, was given to Lord Shiva. Halahal was poisonous and turned Lord Shiva blue. The gods panicked and gave him water from the river Ganga to nullify the effects of the poison, and this worked, although he remained blue.
This legend meets another — Ravana prayed relentlessly to Shiva asking for his blessings, even resorting to decapitating his many heads. When Ravana was reduced to just one head, Shiva asked him what he wanted. Ravana asked for a shivling which he could take back to Lanka. The gods were angry at this proposal, asking Shiva not to grant that wish as it would empower Ravana. Shiva gave Ravana the shivling but added a caveat — the shivling must be carried all the way from Mount Kailash to Lanka without being set down, for if it were to be set down, it would never move. Cautioned by this, Ravana took the shivling but stopped at Deoghar. Here he was met by one of the gods in the guise of a shepherd, offering to hold the shivling. Ravana handed it over, only for the shepherd to set it down immediately.
Explanation:
... one of India's largest pilgrimages, the Shravani Mela, was ... lingam in Amarnath and many other features for our visitors.” ...