Maha Sivratri
- Rohit Kumar Parmar
Pic MahSiv 1 Shiva ling in the main sanctorum, Kakanmath, Morena, Madhya Pradesh, India
Pic MahSiv 2 Snake on a Shiva ling in the main sanctorum, Kakanmath, Morena, Madhya Pradesh, India
Maha Sivratri (Shivratri, Shivarathri) is celebrated to mark the marriage of Lord Siva (Shiva) and Goddess Parvati. Devotees on trayodashi (13th day of Krishna paksha, the waning moon) worship Lord Siva by fasting, performing rituals like offering of Bael (Bel Tree) leaves to Lord Shiva, chanting Om Namah Sivaya till Chaturdashi (14th day of the waning moon).
There is a Sivaratri on 13th night/14th day (trayodashi) of Krishna paksha (waning moon) of every month of the Hindu calendar. In Phalguna, (February/March), it is celebrated as Maha Sivaratri.
Chaturdashi Tithi during Krishna Paksha in Magha (January/February) is celebrated as Maha Sivaratri as per Amanta or Amavasyant calendar (month ending on Amavasya, i.e. no moon day), which is followed in South India.
Devotees visit Siva temples or go on pilgrimage to one of the Maha Jyotirlingams in
Mallikarjuna (Srisailam) in Andhra Pradesh;
Nageshwara (Dwarka) and Somanath (Gir) in Gujarat;
Vaidyanath (Deoghar) in Jharkhand;
Mahakaleshwara (Ujjain) and Omkareshwara (Khandwa) in Madhya Pradesh;
Bhimashankar (Pune), Ghrishneshwara (Aurangabad) and Trayambakeshwara (Nashik) in Maharashtra;
Kedarnath (Rudraprayag) in Uttarakhand;
Vishveshwara (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh;
Rameshwara (Rameswaram) in Tamil Nadu;
where fairs and special events are held.
Maha Sivaratri is mentioned in several Puranas, including the Skanda, Linga and Padma Purana. Many legends with regional variations explain the significance of Maha Sivaratri.
It is believed that on Maha Sivaratri, Lord Siva gulped Halahala (lethal poison) produced during Samudra manthan (churning of the seas) and held it in his throat/neck which bruised and turned blue, after which he is called Neel Kanth.
According to one legend, Siva performs the dance of creation, preservation and destruction. Maha Sivaratri has served as a historic confluence of artists for annual dance festivals at temples such as Konark (Odisha), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Pattadakal (Karnataka), Modhera (Gujrat) and Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu).
At the Chidambaram temple, famous for its sculpture depicting all dance mudras in the ancient Hindu text and performing arts called Natya Shastra, the event is called Natyanjali (worship through dance).
At Khajuraho Siva temples, a major fair and dance festival on Maha Sivaratri, involving Siva pilgrims who camped over miles around the temple complex, was documented by Alexander Cunningham in 1864.
Maha Sivaratri is celebrated with great pomp and fanfare in the Annamalaiyar temple, (Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu). The worship entails Girivalam/Giri Pradakshina, a 14-kilometer bare foot walk around Lord Siva's temple on top of the hill. A huge lamp of oil and camphor is lit on the hilltop at sunset.
In Telangana, Mahashivaratri Utsavalu is held at Rudreshwara Swamy's thousand pillar temple in Warangal.
The Mandi fair on the banks of Beas, is famous for Maha Sivaratri celebrations when devotees pour in. It is believed that more than 200 gods and goddesses of the area, assemble here on Maha Sivaratri.
In Kashmir, Mahasivratri is celebrated as Har-ratri (Night of Hara) or Haerath or Herath on trayodashi or the thirteenth of Krishna Paksha (waning moon) of Phalguna (February/March) and not on chaturdashi as in some parts of the country. The fortnight long festival is celebrated with elaborate rituals associated with appearance of Bhairava (Siva) as jwala-linga or linga of flame, as described as Bhairavotsava in Tantric texts.
In Gujarat, Maha Sivaratri mela is held at Bhavnath near Junagadh where bathing in the Mrugi (Mrigi) kund is considered holy, since the myth that Lord Siva himself comes to bathe in the Mrugi kund.
In West Bengal, Maha Sivaratri is observed devoutly by unmarried girls seeking a suitable husband, often visiting Tarakeswar.
Maha Shivaratri is widely celebrated in temples across Nepal, especially in Pashupatinath temple. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated as Nepali Army Day amid a spectacular ceremony.
In Nepal also, on Maha Shivaratri married women pray for the well being of their husbands, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, considered as the ideal husband.
All across India, Lord Shiva is worshipped in different temples of which the notably famous are Kalahasteswara temple in Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, Umananda Temple located in the peacock island amidst the Brahmaputra rives in Assam, Bhutnath Temple in Himachal Pradesh, Matangeswar temple in Madhya Pradesh and Tarakeswar temple in West Bengal. To see some of the Shiva temples in India Click Here
The famous Sidhlingappa's fair is observed during Maha Shivratri in Karnataka.
Hindus in Pakistan visit Shiva temples during Shivratri. The most important is the three-day Shivratri festival in the Umarkot Shiv Mandir.
The marriage of Siva has also found a place in Indian Bollywood as `Shivji Vihane Chale’ , Munimji (1955)
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