Mahashivratri — “The Great Night of Shiva”

Lord Shiva is one of the most powerful deities in the Hindu culture. There is a Shivaratri in every lunisolar month of the Hindu calendar on the 13th night or 14th morning, but the one that comes once in a year before spring is considered to be Mahashivratri which literally translates to the “The Great Night of Shiva”. It is a sacred festival for the millions of devotees of Lord Shiva and is celebrated to venerate the Lord. Mahashivratri has an incredible significance in the Hindu mythology. People say that any person who performs the prayer with care and devotion on this auspicious day is absolved of sins and attains moksha.

From chanting prayers to fasting to meditation, this day is dedicated to the Lord’s values on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, and forgiveness. The devotees pray all night and offer milk, honey, and water to the Shiva Linga. There are different mythical stories of Mahashivratri. According to some folklore, Shivratri is celebrated as the day when Shiva saved the world by drinking the pot of poison that emerged from the ocean Samudra Manthan, whereas some celebrate the day when Shiva punished Brahma and Vishnu by taking the form of a massive fire that spread across the length of the universe when they got into a major tiff about their supremacy, but for ascetics, it is this day when Shiva became one with Mount Kailash. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is worshiped as an Adi Guru, the first Guru from whom the knowledge incepted and after many years of meditation, one day he became still and hence Mahashivratri is called as the night of stillness.

Shivratri celebrations are marked with devotion and religious fervor. Joy can be seen in the faces of millions of devotees and they start planning for this festival in advance. Therefore, in this Mahashivratri, experience the Shiva tattva with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at International Center, Bangaloreor visit the famous Shiva’s temples at Srikalahasti or Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh where this festival is observed with extreme enthusiasm. If you are concerned about the travel but very much interested in visiting these places then reach out to ticketgoose.com- India’s leading online bus ticket bookingportal and book your bus tickets from Parveen Travels to get exclusive offers on your bookings.