One of the most important Hindu festivals, Maha Shivratri, is being celebrated today with great enthusiasm and devotion by millions of Lord Shiva devotees across the country. The festival marks the auspicious night when Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati got married, according to one of the popular legends. It is also believed that on this night, Lord Shiva performed the cosmic dance of creation, preservation and destruction, and saved the world from the deadly poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean.
Devotees observe a strict fast on this day, abstaining from food and water, and spend the night in prayer, meditation, and chanting of mantras. They also visit Shiva temples and offer various items such as belpatra, dhatura, milk, fruits, sweets, and flowers to the Shiva linga, the symbol of Lord Shiva. Some also perform special rituals such as abhishekam, rudrabhishekam, and mahamrityunjaya puja to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva for health, wealth, and happiness.
The festival is celebrated with slightly varying traditions in different parts of the country. In Kashmir, devotees carry earthen pots filled with water and walnuts to the temples and break them there as a sign of breaking their ego. In Tamil Nadu, devotees light lamps with ghee and camphor and place them on banana leaves around the Shiva linga. In Gujarat, devotees make a special dish called thandai, which is a cold drink made with milk, almonds, poppy seeds, and cannabis, and offer it to Lord Shiva. In Maharashtra, devotees perform a ritual called shivalingodbhav, which involves pouring water over a mound of cow dung that represents the Shiva linga.
The festival is also celebrated in other countries where there is a significant Hindu population, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mauritius. In Nepal, the festival is known as Shivaratri and is a national holiday. Thousands of devotees flock to the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, which is one of the most sacred temples of Lord Shiva in the world. In Sri Lanka, the festival is known as Maha Sivarathri and is celebrated by both Hindus and Buddhists. In Indonesia, the festival is known as Hari Raya Siwa and is celebrated by the Balinese Hindus, who decorate their homes and temples with colorful flowers and fabrics.
Maha Shivratri is a festival of great spiritual significance, as it is believed that fasting and worshipping Lord Shiva on this night can help one overcome ignorance, attain self-realisation, and achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is also a festival of joy and celebration, as it commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, who are the epitome of love, devotion, and harmony. Maha Shivratri is a festival that celebrates the power, grace, and compassion of Lord Shiva, who is the supreme lord of the universe and the destroyer of evil.
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