Maha Shivaratri
maha shivaratri sanskrit महाशिवरात्रि romanized mahāśivarātri lit great night shiva hindu festival celebrated annually honour deity shiva february march according hindu calendar festival observed fourteenth day first half night start darkness waning lunar month phalguna festival commemorates wedding shiva parvati occasion shiva performs divine dance called tandava notable festival hinduism marking remembrance overcoming darkness ignorance life world observed remembering shiva chanting prayer fasting meditating ethic virtue honesty noninjury others charity forgiveness discovery shiva ardent devotee stay awake throughout night others visit one shiva temple go pilgrimage jyotirlingams festival believed originated th century bce kashmir shaivism festival called harratri phonetically simpler haerath herath shiva devotee kashmir region maha shivaratri particularly important shaivism tradition hinduism unlike hindu festival celebrated day maha shivaratri celebrated night furthermore unlike hindu festival include expression cultural revelry maha shivaratri solemn event notable introspective focus fasting meditation shiva self study social harmony allnight vigil shiva temple celebration includes maintaining jagarana allnight vigil prayer shaiva hindu mark night overcoming darkness ignorance one life world shiva offering fruit leaf sweet milk made shiva perform allday fasting vedic tantric worship shiva perform meditative yoga shiva temple sacred panchakshara mantra shiva om namah shivaya chanted throughout day devotee praise shiva recitation hymn called shiva chalisa maha shivaratri mentioned several purana particularly skanda purana linga purana padma purana medieval era shaiva text present different version associated festival fasting offering reverence lingam emblematic figure shiva different legend describe significance maha shivaratri according one legend shaivism tradition night shiva performs heavenly dance creation preservation destruction chanting hymn reading shiva scripture chorus devotee join cosmic dance remembers shiva presence everywhere according another legend night shiva parvati got married different legend state offering shiva icon linga annual occasion overcome past sin restart virtuous path thereby reach mount kailasha liberation also believed particular day shiva gulped halahala produced samudra manthana held neck bruised turned blue result acquired epithet nilakantha also believed famous neelkanth mahadev temple place incident took place significance dance tradition festival historical root maha shivaratri served historic confluence artist annual dance festival major hindu temple konark khajuraho pattadakal modhera chidambaram event called natyanjali literally worship dance chidambaram temple famous sculpture depicting dance mudra ancient hindu text performance art called natya shastra similarly khajuraho shiva temple major fair dance festival maha shivaratri involving shaiva pilgrim camped mile around temple complex documented alexander cunningham maha shivaratri celebrated tamil nadu great pomp fanfare annamalaiyar temple located tiruvannamalai district special process worship day girivalam giri pradakshina kilometer bare foot walk around shiva temple top hill huge lamp oil camphor lit hilltop sunset confused karthigai deepam ritual marathon undertaken devotee shiva shrine district kanyakumari day shivaratri called sivalaya ottam recent year isha foundation major patron festivity india even prime minister narendra modi attended celebration hosted site giant adiyogi coimbatore major jyotirlinga shiva temple india varanasi somanatha particularly frequented maha shivaratri serve also site fair special event karnataka mahashivaratri one important festival celebrated much grandeur ardent worshipper stay awake night visit temple take part ritual popular temple destination dharmasthala murudeshwara gokarna nanjangud male madeshwara hill kadu malleshwara kotilingeshwara mylaralingeshwara among others thronged devotee across state neighbouring state isha foundation festivity replicated adiyogi shiva temple chikkaballapur inaugurated january andhra pradesh telangana special pujas held pancharamas amararamam amaravati somaramam bhimavaram draksharamam kumararama samarlakota ksheerarama palakollu day immediately shivaratri celebrated brahmotsavaalu srisailam one jyotirlinga site mahashivaratri utsavalu held rudreshwara swamys pillar temple warangal devotee throng special poojas srikalahasti mahanandi yaganti antarvedi kattamanchi pattiseema bhairavakona hanamkonda keesaragutta vemulawada panagal kolanupaka amongst others shivaratri yatras held mallayya gutta near kambhalapalle gundlakamma kona near railway koduru penchalakona bhairavakona uma maheswaram amongst others mandi fair town mandi particularly famous venue maha shivaratri celebration believed god goddess area said number assemble day maha shivaratri mandi located bank beas popularly known cathedral temple one oldest town himachal pradesh temple different deity periphery kashmir shaivism maha shivaratri celebrated hindu kashmir called herath kashmiri word derived sanskrit word hararatri night hara another name shiva shivaratri regarded important festival community instance celebrated trayodashi thirteenth dark half month phalguna february–march chaturdashi fourteenth rest country reason long drawn festival celebrated one full fortnight elaborate ritual associated appearance bhairava shiva jvalalinga linga flame described bhairavotsava tantric text occasion bhairava bhairavi shakti cosmic energy propitiated tantric worship according legend associated origin worship linga appeared pradoshakala dusk early night blazing column fire dazzled vatuka bhairava rama ramana bhairava mahadevis mindborn son approached discover beginning end miserably failed exasperated terrified began sing praise went mahadevi merged aweinspiring jvalalinga goddess blessed vatuka ramana would worshipped human being would receive share sacrificial offering day would worship would wish fulfilled vatuka bhairava emerged pitcher full water mahadevi cast glance fully armed weapon rama represented pitcher full water walnut kept soaking worshipped along shiva parvati kumara ganesha ganas attendant deity yoginis kshetrapalas guardian quarter – represented clay image soaked walnut later distributed naivedya ceremony called vatuk barun kashmiri mean filling pitcher water representing vatuka bhairava walnut worshipping central india large number shaiva follower mahakaleshwar temple ujjain one venerated shrine consecrated shiva large congregation devotee gather offer prayer day maha shivaratri tilwara ghat city jabalpur math temple village jeonara seoni two place festival celebrated much religious fervour punjab shobha yatras would organised various hindu organisation different city grand festival punjabi hindu gujarat maha shivaratri mela held bhavnath near junagadh bathing mrugi mrigi kund considered holy according myth shiva come bath mrugi kund west bengal maha shivaratri observed devoutly unmarried girl boy seeking suitable husband wife often visiting tarakeswar odisha maha shivaratri also known jagara people fast wish whole day take food mahadipa great diya rise top shiva temple usually held midnight unmarried girl also worship seeking suitable husband maha shivaratri national holiday nepal celebrated widely temple country especially pashupatinath temple thousand devotee visit famous shiva shakti peetham nearby well holy ritual performed nation maha shivaratri celebrated nepali army day amid spectacular ceremony held army pavilion tundikhel capital city kathmandu provision road blockage child use rope string stop people vehicle passing exchange money worshipper shiva stay night smoke marijuana shiva believed avid smoker marijuana smoking day called taking ‘shivako prasad’ ‘shiva buti’ literally blessing shiva crowd sadhu saint travel pashupatinath temple located kathmandu nepal neighbouring india celebrate day perform puja day another major temple shivaratri celebrated shree ratneshwar mahadev temple karachi whose shivaratri festival attended people shivaratri night hindu karachi fast visit temple later devotee chanesar goth come temple carrying water holy river ganges order bathe idol shiva puja performed aarti done devotee walk barefoot woman carrying pooja thali containing flower incense stick rice coconut diya sea free break fast eat breakfast later made temple kitchen maha shivaratri main hindu festival among shaiva hindu diaspora nepal india indocaribbean community thousand hindu spend beautiful night four hundred temple across multiple country offering special jhalls offering milk curd flower sugarcane sweet shiva mauritius hindu go pilgrimage ganga talao craterlake fasting meditation recommended hindu maha shrivastri fasting may engage nirjala vrat fasting food water fast meat eating fruit milk day shaivism fasting traditionally associated shiva worship customary devotee shiva eat anything worship make offering day fast whole day worship performed early morning however day maha shivaratri wait worship continues late night devotee break fast sunrise end chaturdashi tithi pradosha rudraksha vibhuti rudra linga mahashivratri medium related shivaratri wikimedia common maha shivaratri celebration usa pluralism project mahashivratri image