Maha Shivratri

Mahashivratri, “The Great Night of Shiva” is one of the most significant festivals in Hinduism. Shiva, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and is known as “the destroyer” within the Hindu Trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. The 14th day of every month or a day before the new moon is known as Shivratri. Among the 12 Shivratris that occur in a calendar year, Mahashivratri, is the most important one which is celebrated in February-March depending upon the planetary position (Hindu month Phalguna).

There are various reasons for the celebration of this festival. One of the main reasons is showing gratitude to Lord Shiva. During the churning of the ocean (sagar manthan) to produce the nectar of immortality, various gems and precious stones came out, but halahala (a dangerous poison that could wipe out all creation) also came out. On the advice of Lord Vishnu, Devas approached Lord Shiva for help and out of compassion, he agreed to drink the poison. He squeezed his throat to prevent the poison descending into his body. Thus, the poison was stuck in his throat, which turned his neck to blue. That is why, Lord Shiva is called Neelkanth (neela- blue, kanth- throat). Therefore, Shivratri marks the anniversary of drinking of poison by Lord Shiva and, Mahashivratri is celebrated as the thanksgiving to him. Shiva drank the destructive potion to protect his devotees and so, he is prayed by devotees as the destroyer of negativity, evil and ignorance.

During Shivratri, devotees observe fast and spend the whole night in the name of Lord Shiva, “jaagaran” by chanting “Om Namah Shivaya”, a sacred mantra and his songs and listen to the glorious stories of Shiva. In all Shiva temples, Shivratri puja takes place throughout the night and devotees douse the shivling (representation of Shiva) with Ganges water, milk, curd, rose water, turmeric, honey among others which is called the Shiv Abhishek. Several sweets are offered to Shiva along with flowers and fruits.

The Shivratri Puja(prayer) can be performed one time or four times during the night. The whole night duration can be divided into four to get 4 Prahar to perform the Shiva Puja four times. As per the puja Vidhi of Mahashivratri, Shiva linga abhishek has to be done with six different materials which are milk for the blessing of purity and piousness, yogurt for prosperity and progeny, honey for sweet speech, ghee for victory, sugar for happiness and water for purity.

During the 4 Prahar Puja, water Abhishek must be performed during the first Prahar, curd Abhishek during second Prahar, Ghee Abhishek during third Prahar and honey Abhishek during fourth Prahar apart from other materials. After the Abhishek ritual, Shiva Linga is adorned with the garland made of Bilva leaves since it is believed that Bilva leaves cool down Lord Shiva. Chandan and Kumkum are applied to the Shiva Linga, followed by lighting lamp and Dhupa. The Shiva Linga is also adorned with flower of Madar and Vibhuti which is also known as Bhasm.

Mahashivratri is celebrated in many regions in India especially at the 12 Jyotirlingas. A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a fiery column of light. ‘Jyoti’ means ‘radiance’ and Lingam, ‘the mark or sign’ of the Almighty or the phallus symbol. Hence, Jyotirlingam means the radiant sign of the Almighty. The 12 Jyotirlingas are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar at Pune in Maharashtra, Vishwanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar at Nashik in Maharashtra, Baidyanath at Deoghar, Jharkhand, Nageshvara at Dwarka in Gujarat, Ramanathaswamy at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar in Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

1. Somnath Temple, Gujarat is regarded to be the first among the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, and it is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimages in India and a great tourist spot in Gujarat. Somnath means “Lord of the Soma”, an epithet of Shiva.

2. Kashi Vishwanath temple, Uttar Pradesh is one of the most famous and the holiest Shiva temples in India. The Jyotirlinga shrine is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh with the temple standing on the banks of the holy River Ganga. Vishvanatha means the Ruler of The Universe. On the occasion of Mahashivratri, the ghats are full with devotees of Shiva from all around the world.

3. Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is situated in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be dakshinamurti, meaning that it is facing the south. The lingam at the Mahakala is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself) deriving currents of power shakti from within itself. It is believed that Shiva has its blessing on the city of Ujjain. During Mahashivratri, devotees worship whole night along with a huge fair organised in the temple.

4. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple is located at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh. Lord Shiva also called, Mallikarjuna is the deity of worship while Mahashivratri is the most important festival celebrated at Srisailam Mallikarjuna Swamy temple. According to the mythological story, Shiva and Parvati stayed in Srisailam, in order to remain close

to their son Kartikey who had decided to stay alone on Mount Kravunja. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams that are amongst the greatest Lord Shiva temples in Asia.

5. Omkareshwar Jyotrilinga is situated at Mandhata, an island in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. The name “Omkareshwar” is based on the shape of the island, which is Om. There are two main Lord Shiva temples – Omkareshwar which literally means “the Lord of the Om Sound” and other is, Amareshwar that is “Immortal Lord”.

6. The Kedarnath, Jyotirling temple in Uttarakhand is considered to be the most difficult one to visit by Lord Shiva devotees. It is located at the height of 3,583 m from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, and going there is quite challenging with extreme weather conditions which is why it is accessible only for six months a year. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams and was built by the Pandavas and revived by Adi Sankaracharya.

7. The Bhimashankar jyotirlinga is located in Pune, Maharashtra and is the source of River Bhima in the Bhimashankar hills in Khed Taluka. Built in the Nagara style of architecture, this temple dates back to the 18th century. It is believed that the ancient shrine was erected over a Swayambhu Linga or a Self-emanated Shiva Linga.

8. Baidyanath Temple or Baba Baidyanath Dham is one the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. This Jyotirlinga shrine is located in Deoghar, Jharkhand and got its name Vaidhya literally meaning ‘doctor’ from the fact that Lord Shiva cured demon king, Ravana as he was the greatest Shiva worshipper. Mahashivratri is the famous festival celebrated in the temple and millions of pilgrims visit to attend Shraavana mela.

9. The Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga temple, in Tamil Nadu is one of the most highly worshipped and sacred pilgrimage sites in India. According to Hindu mythology, the jyotirlingam was made by Lord Rama himself to make amends of killing Ravana, a Brahmin in the battlefield. He asked Hanuman to bring a lingam from Kailash, but as it was getting late, he worshipped the lingam made of sand by Devi Sita. It is believed that alike lingam is placed inside the sanctum. This Lingam worshipped by Lord Rama is known as Ramanathar.

10. Nageshvara Jyotirlinga temple is located near Dwarka in Gujarat. According to the Shiva Purana, Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is in Darukavana, an ancient name of a forest in India. The Indian mythology suggests that Lord Krishna used to perform rudrabhishekam.

11. The Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is located in the city of Nashik and lies at the foothills of Brahmagiri Mountain. According to Shiva Purana, on request of Godavari and Gautam Rishi, Lord Shiva decided to reside as Trimbakeshwar. It is one of the most unique jyotirlinga since the linga has three faces symbolizing, the Trinity, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. It is also covered by a jewelled crown, which is placed over the golden mask of the three gods.

12. The Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga which is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra is considered to be the last and smallest of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas as mentioned in the Shiva Purana. Grishneshwar means the ‘Lord of compassion’. It is built of red rock and composed of a five-tier shikhara.

Outside of India, 2 other places where this festival is widely celebrated is Nepal and Mauritius. It is a national holiday in both countries and thousands of devotees visit temples all over the country. While in Nepal, the Pashupatinath temple is the most frequented one, in Mauritius, the devotees go on pilgrimage to Ganga Talao, a sacred crater-lake.

By Rishikesh Beeharry