Mahashivratri Festival

| Legend |

Every month in the Hindu calendar has listed the thirteenth day of the darker half of the month as Shivaratri i.e. 'Shiva's great night'. Shivaratri falls in the krishna paksha, in the month of Magha and is celebrated all over the country as 'Mahashivaratri'.

As the name indicates this festival is celebrated in honor of Shiva, the third God of the Hindu Trinity. This is the night when he is said to have performed the Tandava or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.

Celebrations : Devotees of Shiva fast during the day and maintain a long vigil during the night. In temples all across the country, bells ring, sacred texts are chanted and traditional offerings of leaves and milk are made to the Shiv lingam, the phallic symbol of the god.

On the day of Shivratri, the lingam is bathed with the five sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya - milk, sour milk, urine, butter and dung. Thereafter the five foods of immortality - milk, clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar - are placed before the lingam. Dhatura and jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temple.

Special celebrations are held at important Shiva temples at Chidambaram, Kalahasi, Khajuraho and Varanasi. In Kashmir, the festival is held for 15 days; the thirteenth day is observed as Herath, a day of fast followed by a family feast.