A big day for Shiva devotees

Mahashivratri or ‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated all over the country with devotion and religious fervour in honour of Lord Shiva.
Shivratri falls on the moonless 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the month of February - March in English Calendar.

Celebrating the festival, devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva’s linga to appease the deity, who is also known as Mahadeva or Maheswara.

There are various interesting legends relating to the festival of Mahashivratri. According to a popular legend, Shivratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Some believe that it was on this auspicious night that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious. Devotees observe strict fast in honour of the deity, though many subsist on a diet of fruits and milk, some don’t consume even a drop of water. They strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day, absolves a person of sins and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death.

It is considered especially auspicious for women. While married women pray for the wellbeing of their husbands, unmarried women pray for a life partner like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband.

Worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours, priests perform ritual pooja of Shiva linga by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of ‘Om Namah Shivay’ and ringing of temple bells. These six items form  an indispensable part of the occasion, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship. After this, Bilwa leaves are kept on top of the Shiva linga to cool the hot-tempered deity. Nightlong vigil is also observed in Shiva temples, where a large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs. It is only on the following morning that devotees break their fast by eating prasad.

Mahashivratri is held in great esteem in most of the regions in India especially in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. In Kashmir, since a majority of Pandits are followers of Lord Shiva, this festival is observed for fifteen continuous days. In Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, devotees of Shiva take a holy bath at Sangam — the confluence of the three sacred rivers — Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati - with faith that all their sins will be washed away. Magh Mela fair is also held in Allahabad.

In Mumbai, the festival is celebrated in a grand manner in the 200-year-old Babulnath temple located in south of Malabar Hill.
The Sankara Mattham at Matunga has made elaborate arrangements for conducting the festival. The programme starts today morning.
— KA Viswanathan