Shiva
Maha Shivratri
The great night of Shiva — vigil, fasting, and abhishek through the four prahars.
Tithi: Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi (north) · Magha Krishna Chaturdashi (west & south) — the same night
Which calendar do you follow?
The bright fortnight is named the same everywhere. A dark fortnight belongs to one month in the north and to the month before it in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the south — the same night, two true names. Saved only on this device.
In the simplest words
The great night of Shiva. People stay up, pour water and milk on the Shivling, and keep saying 'Om Namah Shivaya' — a quiet night, not a noisy one.
The story & purpose
Maha Shivratri is the night tradition holds most dear to Shiva — remembered variously as the night of his cosmic tandava, the night he saved creation by holding the halahala poison in his throat, and the night of his union with Parvati.
Unlike most festivals it is kept at night: devotees fast, keep vigil, and bathe the shivlinga through all four prahars until dawn.
Its best-loved story is the hunter who, waiting out the night in a bel tree, unknowingly dropped leaf after leaf onto a shivalinga below — and was liberated by accidental worship. The night teaches Shiva's ease: he counts the wakefulness, not the credentials.
What is done
Vrat & jagran
A day's fast and a night of wakefulness in remembrance of Shiva.
Rudrabhishek
The linga is bathed with water, milk, curd, ghee, and honey — bel leaves offered with each round.
Four-prahar puja
Abhishek repeated in each quarter of the night, each with its own offering.
Mahamrityunjaya jaap
108 rounds of the great healing mantra, or Om Namah Shivaya through the night.
Best timings
Nishita kaal (solar midnight) is the heart of the puja; the four prahars divide dusk to dawn.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition — for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Every lunar month has a Shivratri; this one — of Phalguna — is the 'maha' one.
Bel (bilva) leaves are Shiva's dearest offering — always placed smooth side down.
At Ujjain, Kashi, and the jyotirlingas the night sees unbroken streams of pilgrims.
Mantras of this festival
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Panchakshara — Om Namah Shivaya
Begin jaap →ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥
Mahamrityunjaya mantra
Begin jaap →कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् । सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥
Karpura Gauram
Begin jaap →