Coimbatore, Feb 12 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest at Sadhguru's 33rd Isha Mahashivratri celebrations here on February 15, which will also be attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs L. Murugan, a statement said on Thursday.

This night-long celebrations will bring together devotion, music, and meditation, and is expected to reach over 140 million viewers globally through live broadcasts on more than 100 TV channels and digital streams in 23 Indian and foreign languages, it added.

Known as the "Great Night of Shiva", Mahashivratri is a unique planetary phenomenon when the natural upsurge of energy in the human system is especially conducive for spiritual growth, the statement said.

Sadhguru said, "We have the advantage of being at the foothills of Velliangiri Mountains, called the Kailash of the South, where legend says Shiva himself spent over three-and-a-half months... we are at eleven degrees latitude, which is very important because of... the tilt that the planet has and the spin it has. The maximum amount of centrifuge happens at nearly eleven degrees latitude, so that means there is a natural upsurge of energy."

He added that Mahashivaratri is that day when this upsurge of energy is at its peak and this will be the best place to be on that night.

Isha's exuberant festival of Indian classical music and dance features Purbayan Chatterjee on Hindustani Sitar, Carnatic Vocalist Bharat Sundar, and Bharatnatyam artist Vaibhav Aarekar, leading upto Mahashivratri.

"Seekers from across the globe are invited to stay awake and aware through the night, either by being present at the Isha Yoga Centre or by joining the celebrations via online livestreams, with the event also broadcast on major television networks," Sadhguru said.

"For the first time this Mahashivratri, Sadhguru will personally conduct the Yogeshwara Linga Maha, a free, sacred ritual enabling global devotees an opportunity to connect with this consecrated live energy form," the statement said.

"A major highlight of the night is Adiyogi Divya Darshanam, a powerful light and sound show that brings the 112-foot Adiyogi statue, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017, to life," it added.

"With Sadhguru narrating the story of how yoga began, it fills the space with a sense of awe and reverence for the tens of thousands gathered at the venue and the millions watching online," it said.

--IANS

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