Maha Shivratri 2026: Date, time, mantra, history, puja vidhi and significance
Mahashivratri festival is the most prominent festival. The festival is celebrated to honor Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This year, Mahashivratri festival is being celebrated today i.e., on February 15, 2026, chaturdashi tithi of krishna paksha in the month of phalguna. People celebrate this festival across the country with immense happiness and enthusiasm. The festival is also known as the "The Great Night of Shiva" that symbolizes the spiritual awakening, self realization and inner stillness and the night to enhance the positivity. Devotees celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm and fervor. People perform various puja rituals to appease Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati such as - fasting, mantra chanting, abhishekam, meditation and prayers. This is the powerful night, when devotees awake all the night and perform various religious and spiritual activities to appease Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The Mahashivratri differs greatly from other festivals. There is more restraint and less celebration. Here, staying awake and fasting are not symbolic actions. They are instruments. For one complete cycle, they alter the way the body, mind, and awareness work together. This festival represents the victory of light over ignorance and by worshipping Lord Shiva on this auspicious day and doing night vigil, devotees can seek awareness and enlightenment. The festival is celebrated across the country with immense happiness and fervor. The festival is celebrated in Ujjain at Mahakaleshwar temple, Varanasi, Kedarnath, and Kashi Vishwanath temple on a grand level. In order to please Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, devotees stay up all night long and engage in a variety of religious and spiritual practices on this auspicious night.