| Maha Shivaratri | |
|---|---|
 Meditating Shiva statue on Maha-Shivaratri | |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | Religious |
| Significance | Commemoration of the wedding of Shiva and Parvati Veneration of the Tandava dance of Shiva Manifestation of the lingam[1] |
| Observances | |
| Date | Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi |
| 2025 date | 26 February |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Explanatory note on Hindu festival dates | |
|---|---|
TheHindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements:māsa (lunar month),pakṣa (lunar fortnight) andtithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz.amānta /pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Shaivism |
|---|
 |
Scriptures and texts |
Philosophy
|
Schools
Saiddhantika Non - Saiddhantika
|
 Hinduism portal |
Maha Shivaratri is aHindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deityShiva, between February and March.[3] According to theHindu calendar, the festival is observed on the first day of the first half (night start with darkness - waning) of thelunar month ofPhalguna.[3][4] The festival commemorates the marriage of Shiva andParvati,[5] and the occasion of Shiva performing hisritual dance calledtandava.[6][7]
It is a notable festival inHinduism, marking a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers,fasting, and meditating on ethics and virtues such as honesty, non-injury to others, charity, forgiveness, and the discovery of Shiva.[4] Ardent devotees stay awake throughout this night. Others visit one of theShiva temples or go on a pilgrimage to theJyotirlingams. The festival is believed to have originated in 5th century BCE.[4]
InKashmir Shaivism, the festival is called Har-ratri or phonetically simpler Haerath or Herath by Shiva devotees of the Kashmir region.[8][9]
A festival of contemplation
During the Vigil Night of Shiva, Mahashivaratri,
we are brought to the moment of interval
between destruction and regeneration;
it symbolizes the night
when we must contemplate on that which
watches the growth out of the decay.
During Mahashivaratri we have to be alone
with our sword, the Shiva out of us.
We have to look behind and before,
to see what evil needs eradicating from our heart,
what growth of virtue we need to encourage.
Shiva is not only outside of us but within us.
To unite ourselves with the One Self
is to recognize the Shiva in us.
Maha Shivaratri is particularly important in theShaivism tradition ofHinduism. Unlike most Hindu festivals that are celebrated during the day, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at night. Furthermore, unlike most Hindu festivals that include expression of cultural revelry, Maha Shivaratri is a solemn event notable for its introspective focus, fasting, meditation on Shiva, self study, social harmony and an all-night vigil at Shiva temples.[4]
The celebration includes maintaining ajagarana, an all-night vigil and prayers, because Shaiva Hindus mark this night as "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in one's life and the world through Shiva. Offerings of fruits, leaves, sweets and milk are made to Shiva, some perform all-day fasting with Vedic or Tantric worship of Shiva, and some perform meditativeyoga.[11] In Shiva temples, the sacred Panchaksharamantra of Shiva, "Om Namah Shivaya" is chanted throughout the day.[12] Devotees praise Shiva through the recitation of the hymn called theShiva Chalisa.[13]
.jpg)
The Maha Shivaratri is mentioned in severalPuranas, particularly theSkanda Purana,Linga Purana, andPadma Purana. These medieval era Shaiva texts present different versions associated with this festival, such as fasting, and offering reverence to alingam—an emblematic figure of Shiva.[4]
Different legends describe the significance of Maha Shivaratri. According to one legend in theShaivism tradition, this is the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance of creation, preservation and destruction.[6][7] The chanting of hymns, the reading of Shiva scriptures and the chorus of devotees joins this cosmic dance and remembers Shiva's presence everywhere. According to another legend, this is the night when Shiva and Parvati got married.[6][14] A different legend states the offering to Shiva icons, such as the linga, is an annual occasion to overcome any past sins, to restart on a virtuous path, and thereby reachMount Kailasha for liberation.[6] It is also believed that on this particular day, Shiva gulped theHalahala produced during theSamudra Manthana and held it in his neck, which bruised and turned blue. As a result, he acquired the epithetNilakantha.[15] It is also believed that the famousNeelkanth Mahadev Temple is the place where this incident took place.[citation needed]
The significance of dance tradition to this festival has historical roots. The Maha Shivaratri has served as a historic confluence of artists for annual dance festivals at major Hindu temples such as atKonark,Khajuraho,Pattadakal,Modhera andChidambaram.[16] This event is calledNatyanjali, literally "worship through dance", at the Chidambaram temple which is famous for its sculpture depicting all dance mudras in the ancient Hindu text of performance arts calledNatya Shastra.[17][18] Similarly, at Khajuraho Shiva temples, a major fair and dance festival on Maha Shivaratri, involving Shaiva pilgrims camped over miles around the temple complex, was documented by Alexander Cunningham in 1864.[19]
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated inTamil Nadu with great pomp and fanfare in theAnnamalaiyar temple located inTiruvannamalai district. The special process of worship on this day is Girivalam or Giri Pradakshina, a 14-kilometer bare foot walk around Shiva's temple on top of the hill. A huge lamp of oil andcamphor is lit on the hilltop at sunset - not to be confused withKarthigai Deepam.[citation needed] A ritual marathon is undertaken by the devotees to the 12 Shiva shrines in the district ofKanyakumari on the day of Shivaratri calledSivalaya Ottam.[citation needed] In recent years, theIsha Foundation has been a major patron of such festivities in India, with evenPrime MinisterNarendra Modi having attended the celebration hosted at the site of theGiant Adiyogi inCoimbatore.[20]
The majorJyotirlinga Shiva temples of India, such as inVaranasi andSomanatha, are particularly frequented on Maha Shivaratri. They serve also as sites for fairs and special events.[21][22]
InKarnataka, Mahashivaratri is one of the most important festivals that is celebrated with much grandeur. The ardent worshippers stay awake all night and visit temples to take part in the rituals. Popular temple destinations such asDharmasthala,Murudeshwara,Gokarna,Nanjangud,Male Madeshwara Hills,Kadu Malleshwara,Kotilingeshwara,Mylaralingeshwara among others are thronged with devotees across the state and other neighbouring states.[23][24] TheIsha Foundation's festivities are replicated at the Adiyogi Shiva temple atChikkaballapur which was inaugurated on 15 January 2023.[25]
InAndhra Pradesh andTelangana, special pujas are held at Pancharamas - Amararamam ofAmaravati, Somaramam ofBhimavaram,Draksharamam, Kumararama ofSamarlakota and Ksheerarama of Palakollu. The days immediately after Shivaratri are celebrated as Brahmotsavaalu atSrisailam, one of 12 Jyotirlinga sites. Mahashivaratri utsavalu are held at the Rudreshwara Swamy's 1000 pillar temple inWarangal. Devotees throng for the special poojas atSrikalahasti,Mahanandi,Yaganti,Antarvedi,Kattamanchi,Pattiseema,Bhairavakona,Hanamkonda,Keesaragutta,Vemulawada,Panagal,Kolanupaka among others. Shivaratri yatras are held at Mallayya gutta near Kambhalapalle, Gundlakamma Kona near Railway Koduru, Penchalakona, Bhairavakona, Uma Maheswaram among others.
The Mandi fair is in the town ofMandi is particularly famous as a venue for Maha Shivaratri celebrations. It is believed that all gods and goddesses of the area, said to number more than 200, assemble here on the day of Maha Shivaratri. Mandi, located on the banks ofBeas, is popularly known as the "Cathedral of Temples" and one of the oldest towns of Himachal Pradesh, with about 81 temples of different deities on its periphery.[26][27][28]
InKashmir Shaivism, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated by the Hindus ofKashmir and is called, "Herath" in Kashmiri, a word derived from the Sanskrit word "Hararatri" the "Night of Hara" (another name of Shiva). Shivaratri, regarded as the most important festival of the community, for instance, is celebrated by them on trayodashi or the thirteenth of the dark half of the month of Phalguna (February–March) and not on the chaturdashi or the fourteenth as in the rest of the country. The reason for it is that this long drawn festival that is celebrated for one full fortnight as an elaborate ritual is associated with the appearance ofBhairava (Shiva) as a jvala-linga or a linga of flame. It has been described as Bhairavotsava in Tantric texts as on this occasion Bhairava andBhairavi, his Shakti or cosmic energy, are propitiated through Tantric worship.[citation needed]
According to the legend associated with the origin of the worship, the linga appeared at pradoshakala or the dusk of early night as a blazing column of fire and dazzled Vatuka Bhairava and Rama (or Ramana) Bhairava, Mahadevi's mind-born sons, who approached it to discover its beginning or end but miserably failed. Exasperated and terrified they began to sing its praises and went to Mahadevi, who herself merged with the awe-inspiring jvala-linga. The Goddess blessed both Vatuka and Ramana that they would be worshipped by human beings and would receive their share of sacrificial offerings on that day and those who would worship them would have all their wishes fulfilled. As Vatuka Bhairava emerged from a pitcher full of water after Mahadevi cast a glance into it, fully armed with all his weapons (and so did Rama), he is represented by a pitcher full of water in which walnuts are kept for soaking and worshipped along with Shiva, Parvati, Kumara, Ganesha, their ganas or attendant deities, yoginis and kshetrapalas (guardians of the quarters) – all represented by clay images. The soaked walnuts are later distributed as naivedya. The ceremony is called 'vatuk barun' in Kashmiri, which means filling the pitcher of water representing the Vatuka Bhairava with walnuts and worshipping it.[citation needed]
Central India has a large number of Shaiva followers. TheMahakaleshwar Temple,Ujjain is one of the most venerated shrines consecrated to Shiva, where a large congregation of devotees gathers to offer prayers on the day of Maha Shivaratri. Tilwara Ghat in the city ofJabalpur and the Math Temple in the village ofJeonara,Seoni are two other places where the festival is celebrated with much religious fervour.
InPunjab, Shobha Yatras would be organised by various Hindu organisations in different cities. It is a grand festival forPunjabi Hindus.
InGujarat, Maha Shivaratri mela is held atBhavnath nearJunagadh where bathing in the Mrugi (Mrigi) kund is considered holy. According to myth, Shiva himself comes to bath in the Mrugi kund.[citation needed]
InWest Bengal, Maha Shivaratri is observed devoutly by unmarried girls and boys seeking a suitable husband or wife, often visitingTarakeswar.[citation needed]
InOdisha, Maha Shivaratri is also known asJagara. People fast for their wishes whole day and take food after 'Mahadipa' (The great diya) rises at the top of Shiva temple. It usually is held during midnight. Unmarried girls also worship for seeking a suitable husband.[citation needed]
Maha Shivaratri is a national holiday in Nepal and celebrated widely in temples all over the country, especially in thePashupatinath temple. Thousands of devotees visit the famousShiva Shakti Peetham nearby as well. Holy rituals are performed all over the nation. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated as Nepali Army Day amid a spectacular ceremony held at the Army Pavilion,Tundikhel.[29] In the capital city ofKathmandu, there is a provision of road blockage where children use ropes and strings to stop the people or vehicle passing through in exchange of money.[30] Worshippers of Shiva stay up all night and some also smoke marijuana as Shiva is believed to be an avid smoker and marijuana smoking on this day is called taking ‘Shivako Prasad’ or ‘Shiva Buti’ literally the "Blessing of Shiva".[31] Crowds of sadhus and saints travel to Pashupatinath Temple located in Kathmandu from all of Nepal and neighbouring India to celebrate the day and perform puja on this day.[32]
Another major temple where Shivaratri is celebrated is theShree Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple in Karachi whose Shivaratri festival is attended by 25,000 people.[33] On the Shivaratri night, Hindus in Karachi fast and visit the temple. Later, devotees from theChanesar Goth come to the temple carrying water from the holy riverGanges, in order to bathe the idol ofShiva.Puja is performed until 5 am, when anaarti is then done. Devotees then walk barefoot with women carrying apooja thali containing flowers, incense sticks, rice, coconut and adiya to the sea after which they are free to break their fast. They eat breakfast later on, which was made in the temple kitchen.[34]
Maha Shivaratri is the main Hindu festival among theShaiva Hindu diaspora fromNepal andIndia. InIndo-Caribbean communities, thousands of Hindus spend the beautiful night in over four hundred temples across multiple countries, offering specialjhalls (an offering of milk and curd, flowers, sugarcane and sweets) to Shiva.[35] InMauritius, Hindus go on pilgrimage toGanga Talao, a crater-lake.[36]
.jpg)
Fasting and meditation is recommended for Hindus during Maha Shivaratri.[37] Those fasting may engage in "nirjala vrat," or fasting from all food and water, or fast from meat, eating only fruits and milk during the day.
InShaivism, fasting is traditionally associated withShiva worship. It is customary for the devotees ofShiva not to eat anything until they worship him and make him offerings. On most of the days, they do not have to fast for a whole day because the worship is performed in the early morning. However, on the day of Maha Shivaratri, they have to wait because the worship continues late into the night.[38][39][40][41]
Devotees break the fast between sunrise and before the end ofChaturdashi Tithi.[42]
Media related toShivaratri at Wikimedia Commons| Deities |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts | |||||||||||
| Mantra/Stotra | |||||||||||
| Traditions | |||||||||||
| Festivals and observances | |||||||||||
| Shiva temples |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||
| Major festivals |
|
|---|---|
| Sindhi New Year | |
| Literary Events | |
| Holy days | Sindhi Muslims Holidays |
| Lists | |
| Philosophy |
|  | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Deities |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Practices |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jan–Mar | |
|---|---|
| Apr–Jun |
|
| Jul–Sep | |
| Oct–Dec | |
