← All Festivalsमहाशिवरात्रि
Mahashivaratri
1 day · Shiva · pan-india, diaspora
When: Magha (or Phalguna) krishna chaturdashi — the night before amavasya (February-March)
The Story
(1) The night Shiva performed the Tandava — cosmic dance of creation-preservation-dissolution; (2) The night Shiva married Parvati; (3) The night Shiva drank the halahala poison from samudra-manthan and Parvati held his throat (Nilakantha story).
Vidhi · How It's Done
- Day-long fast (nirjala or phalahar)
- Jagaran — staying awake all night
- Four-yama (3-hour) puja sessions through the night
- Abhishek of Shiva-linga with milk, water, panchamrit, bel patra, dhatura
- Recitation of Sri Rudram, Shiva Tandava Stotram, Shiva Mahimna Stotra, Lingashtakam
- Maha Mrityunjaya japa (108 or more)
- Bhog: bhang (in some regions), bel-leaves, simple satvic food
Key Mantras
- ॐ नमः शिवाय (panchakshara — most-recited)
- ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे... (Maha Mrityunjaya)
- Sri Rudram (Yajurveda 4.5 + 4.7)
Bhog · Festival Foods
Thandai (with bhang in some regions) · Sabudana kheer · Kuttu puri · Singhare ka halwa · Aloo curry · Vrat ki barfi
Regional Variants
- · Kashi (Varanasi): largest celebration at Kashi Vishwanath
- · Ujjain (Mahakal): Bhasma Aarti; pre-dawn worship
- · Tamil Nadu: 4-yama-puja with abhishek
- · Nepal: Pashupatinath sees millions of pilgrims
- · 12 Jyotirlinga sites: special celebrations at Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakal, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimashankar, Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageshwar, Rameshwaram, Grishneshwar
Sources: Skanda Purāṇa · Padma Purāṇa · Bhaviṣya Purāṇa · Nirṇaya Sindhu · Awaiting scholar verification.