Mahashivratri 2027महाशिवरात्रि

When is Mahashivratri?

Observed on Krishna Chaturdashi, Magh/Phalgun month. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Mahashivratri means

Maha Shivaratri, the 'great night of Shiva', falls on the Chaturdashi of the dark half of Phalguna (Magha in the southern amanta calendar) — the darkest night before the new moon at the end of winter. Every month has a Shivaratri; this one is the greatest. Devotees fast through the day and keep vigil through the night, worshipping Shiva in the form of the linga.

Unlike most festivals, its heart is not celebration but stillness. The night is divided into four watches (prahar), and in each the linga is bathed and worshipped while the name of Shiva is chanted. Staying awake is itself the practice: a night given wholly to remembering Shiva, when, as the tradition puts it, the mind can turn inward and the soul draw close to its source.

Different traditions remember different things on this night — the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, the appearance of Shiva as an endless column of light, Shiva's cosmic dance, or his drinking of the poison from the churning of the ocean. All of them point to the same Shiva: the auspicious one who is beyond form and yet comes close to his devotees.

The story of Mahashivratri

The Shiva Purana tells that Brahma and Vishnu once argued over which of them was greater. Between them there appeared a pillar of fire with no beginning and no end. Vishnu took the form of a boar and dug down to find its base; Brahma became a swan and flew up to find its top. Neither could find an end. Shiva then emerged from the pillar, and both bowed to him. That endless column of light is the origin of linga worship, and Maha Shivaratri is remembered as the night of that appearance.

A favourite story of the vrat is that of a hunter who, caught in the forest at night, climbed a bel tree to escape wild animals. To keep awake he plucked leaves and dropped them below — onto a Shiva linga he could not see — and the dew from his body fell on it too. Without knowing it, he had fasted, kept vigil and worshipped Shiva with bel leaves and water through the night of Shivaratri, and he was blessed. The story teaches that even a little devotion offered on this night bears great fruit.

Many communities celebrate Maha Shivaratri as the wedding night of Shiva and Parvati, with processions called Shiv Baraat. Some traditions also connect the night with the Neelkantha story, when Shiva held the halahala poison from the churning of the ocean in his throat to save the world.

Mahashivratri puja vidhi, step by step

A simple Shivaratri vrat and puja for home or a temple. Fasting rules and the details of the four-prahar puja differ between families and regions — follow yours.

What you need

• A Shiva linga (or a picture of Shiva), on a plate or in a temple
• Water or Ganga jal, and milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar for panchamrit abhishek
• Bel (bilva) leaves — whole, three-leaflet, washed
• Dhatura flowers or fruit, white flowers, akshat, sandalwood and bhasma (vibhuti)
• A diya, incense and camphor
• Fruits, milk and fasting foods for the vrat

When to do the puja

The main worship is at night, especially at nishita kaal (around midnight) of Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi; the night is divided into four prahars. The fast is broken the next morning after sunrise. Exact times change by city and year — check the Panchang for your city. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Take the vow. In the morning, after bathing, take a sankalp to keep the Shivaratri fast. Many eat only fruit and milk; some keep a waterless fast. Choose what your health allows.
2. Abhishek. Bathe the linga with water, then milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar, and again with water, chanting 'Om Namah Shivaya'.
3. Offer. Apply sandalwood and bhasma, and offer bel leaves (smooth side down), dhatura and white flowers, a lamp and incense.
4. Keep the four prahars. Through the night, repeat the abhishek and puja in each of the four watches, with chanting, the Shiva Chalisa, Rudrashtakam or Mahamrityunjaya mantra, and kirtan. If a full vigil is not possible, keep at least the midnight worship.
5. Break the fast. The next morning, after bathing and a final puja, offer food to others and break your fast with prasad.

Offerings & food: Bilva leaves, dhatura, bhang, cannabis leaves, milk, honey, bel fruit; prasad: thandai, bhang pakoras

Mantras for Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri across India

Mahadev Ki Baraat processions in UP, Shivratri processions in Varanasi, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain, Pashupatinath in Nepal, Jageshwar in Uttarakhand, the Mandi Shivratri fair in Himachal

Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh

Kashi Vishwanath and the ghats are thronged through the night, and Shiv Baraat processions celebrate the wedding of Shiva and Parvati.

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

The Mahakaleshwar temple holds days of festivities leading up to Shivaratri, with special Bhasma Aarti and the Lord dressed as a bridegroom.

Uttarakhand and Himachal

Pilgrims gather at Jageshwar, Kedar valley temples and Baijnath; the International Shivratri Fair at Mandi brings the valley's deities in procession.

Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmiri Pandits keep Herath with the worship of Shiva in a water pot (vatuk), and the festival extends over several days.

Gujarat

Bhavnath fair at the foot of Girnar in Junagadh, where sadhus gather and bathe in the Mrigi Kund at midnight.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

Night-long worship in the great Shiva temples such as Chidambaram, with classical dance offered to Nataraja, and at Gokarna in Karnataka.

Nepal

Lakhs of pilgrims and sadhus gather at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Temples to visit for Mahashivratri

Kashi Vishwanath TempleVaranasi, Uttar PradeshMahakaleshwar TempleUjjain, Madhya PradeshSomnath TempleVeraval, GujaratKedarnath TempleKedarnath, Uttarakhand

Frequently asked questions