Bhubaneswar, Feb. 15 -- The holy festival of Maha Shivratri is being observed in Odisha with great religious fervour, as major Shaiva shrines across the state have been witnessing a surge of devotees since early Sunday morning.

Lakhs of devotees are expected to throng temples through the day and night for darshan and rituals, with the ceremonial Mahadeepa scheduled to be raised at different shrines as per tradition.

At the Lingaraj Temple, the Mahadeepa will be raised at 10 pm tonight. Anticipating a massive turnout, the Police Commissioner has reviewed security and traffic management arrangements to ensure the safety of devotees.

A total of 41 platoons of police force along with 200 officers have been deployed for duty.

The Commissio...