Family performs puja, suspense over Abhishek-Ash marriage

Varanasi, Nov 27 (UNI) Superstar Amitabh Bachchan and family, along with film star Aishwarya Rai, performed early morning "Puja" at the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Sankatmochan temples here today giving rise to speculation of Aishwarya getting engaged to junior Bachchan Abhishek and the priests fixing a date for the marriage.

The visit to the temples, with the media being asked to stay away from the "private puja", led to rumours about exchange of engagement ring by the Bollywood heartthrobs at Sankatmochan temple and the priests fixing the wedding date for February next year.

The family did not have any interaction with the media during the entire duration of the visit. Big B, daughter Shweta Nanda, son Abhishek, brother Ajitabh, niece Namrata alongwith Aishwarya and Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh had arrived in the city late last night by two separate chartered flights from Mumbai and New Delhi.

Their motorcade, eluding the battery of mediapersons went straight from the Airport to the Hotel Taj Ganges, where Amitabh's wife Jaya has been staying for the last few days for the shooting of a Yash Raj banner film "Choodiyan".

After a short rest at the hotel, the celebrities ducked the newspersons leaving through the back door of the Hotel to reach the Kashi Vishwanath temple housing one of the 12 "Jyotirlingas".

Though the police and Z-plus security cover of Uttar Pradesh Development Corporation (UPDC) chairman Amar Singh tried its best to ensure that no one except the high profile visitors went into the temple, some other devotees who had managed to get the tickets to the early morning "Mangala Arti" well in advance also were present to witness the rituals.

Inside the "Garbh Griha", the celebrities watched the "Mangala Arti" amid the resonant sounds of the "Dumroo" (drum) and "Shankh".

District Magistrate Rajiv Agrawal, spotting some mediapersons at the temple urged, them to leave saying the ceremony following the Mangala Arti was a private puja of the Bachchans and Aishwarya.

"Please go as the Bachchans want the puja to be a private affair not to be shared by anyone other than them," he said. However, some newspersons still managed to remain during the ceremony.

The "Abhishek Puja" saw Big B first perform "Dugdabhishek" (anointing with milk) followed by the "Jalabhishek" (water) of Kashi Vishwanath with a silver "shringi" (vessel).

Jaya stood to his right holding his right hand performing her duty as wife. To the left of Amitabh was his son Abhishek with Aishwarya.

One of the 11 priests performing the Puja under the supervision of Bachchan family priest and astrologer Acharya Chandramauli Upadhayay asked Aishwarya and Abhishek to offer Gangajal to the "Linga".

"I asked them to offer the Gangajal to Kashi Vishwanath for their "Kalsarp yog" and prosperity of their family," the priest, Srikant Mishra told newspersons after the nearly two-hours-long Puja.

After the culmination of the "Abhishek Puja" the family went into the "Parvati Kaksh" where Aishwarya applied on her forehead the 'Sindoor'(vermillion) brought by the priest from the idol of Goddess Parvati.

The priests described the early morning puja as "Suniyojit" (auspiciously planned) for a larger cause.

"Whenever Amitji comes to the holy city, he makes it a point to visit the temple. But this time the puja was not a routine affair, but a pre-planned religious ritual aimed towards a larger family cause. The family took a "sankalp", which only they can disclose," Mr Mishra added.

Asked whether the entire religious exercise was motivated by the prospective marital bond between Ash and Abhishek, Mr Mishra said both Mangala Arti and Abhishek Puja help in clearing hurdles in any affair.

MORE UNI ARS ATI NK VV1824