Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 26 (ANI): The Maha Shivratri festival was held on a grand scale on Wednesday at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who attended as the special guest, praised the 'Isha Maha Shivratri festival as a Maha Kumbh of devotion'.

Speaking at the festival, Home Minister Amit Shah said, 'I consider it a great privilege to accept the invitation of Sadhguru and have the darshan of Adiyogi and participate in the grand Maha Shivratri festival that reveals the greatness of Mahadev. Today, from Somnath to Kedarnath, from Pashupatinath to Rameswaram, from Kashi to Coimbatore, the entire country is immersed in the divine grace of Lord Shiva.'

'Sadhguru has played a great role in connecting youth and spirituality. He has conveyed ideas to the youth in a very wise and, at the same time, logical manner. If I had to describe our Sadhguru, I would describe him as 'a wise man with a goal'. Sadhguru has been making us realize that if we want to change the world, we must first change ourselves,' he added.

'I was with Sadhguru during his Save Soil movement. Sadhguru, I humbly tell you about you, you are the greatest treasure that this country of India has received. Maharishi Thirumoolar, as a symbol of the sages, has revealed 3000 wonderful songs called Thirumanthiram in the Saiva tradition through intense penance. Another great example in that line is Maharishi Agasthiyar, a sage who revealed various dimensions of Sanatana. Shiva worship has a special place in Tamil culture. I have heard about Sadhguru's Mahashivaratri. After attending it in person today, what I want to tell the world is this very great and amazing event. Sadhguru said that this Maha Shivratri has done a miracle by combining wisdom and science with the basis of spiritual science,' the Union Home Minister said.

Earlier, Sadhguru welcomed everyone to the Isha Maha Shivratri festival.

He said, 'Our Home Minister, in a way, has brought the country together like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel did. He has brought Kashmir as a part of our India. With the removal of Article 370, that region has returned to normalcy. Now, lakhs of people are visiting Kashmir for tourism. If the sovereignty and law and order of the country are not properly taken care of, education, technology, spirituality, economy, etc. will go to waste. Thank you to our honourable Union Minister,' Sadhguru said.

'Today, Maha Shivratri is a day to rise above the life force, regardless of caste, religion, gender. A renowned journalist asked me if Muslims and Christians can come to Maha Shivratri, to which I said that Muslims, Christians and especially Hindus cannot come. I replied that only humans can come to Maha Shivratri. This is a celebration for humanity. If you are a human being and your spine is straight, Adiyogi is for you. Adiyogi gives hope for the future. Adiyogi is going to come to various places in the country,' he added.

During the spiritually significant midnight Sandhya period, Sadhguru gave the Thiruvaintheluthu Maha Mantra Diksha and led powerful meditations.

Amit Shah, who arrived at the Isha Yoga Center in the evening, took them for darshan at places including Sadhguru Surya Kunda Mandapam, Naga Sannati, Linga Bhairavi Sannati and Dhyanalingam. Amit Shah also participated in the Pancha Bhootha Kriya held at Dhyanalingam.

The dance performance by the Isha Project Sanskrit group amazed the audience. The Thevara Pannisai performance by the Isha Sanskrit students left the audience in a state of devotion. Also, musical performances by famous singer Satya Prakash from Tamil Nadu, singer Subha Raghavendra from Karnataka, Tanish Singh, popularly known as 'Paradox', Marathi music brothers Ajay - Atul, Gujarati folk artist Muktidan Kadvi and German singer Cassandra May kept the audience awake throughout the night.

The special guests at the ceremony were Odisha Governor Haribabu Gampahampati, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Union Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan, Maharashtra Soil and Irrigation Minister Sanjay Rathod. (ANI)