Shivaratri kahile ho? When is Maha Shivaratri 2027?

It is kept on the night of the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Falgun, in February or March. The exact night is confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar.

Why are bel leaves offered to Shiva?

Bel, or bilva, leaves grow in groups of three and are held sacred to Shiva. They are central to the worship on Shivaratri.

Do you have to fast completely?

No. Some keep a fast without food or water, many eat only fruit and milk, and others fast for part of the day. It is a personal choice, and health comes first.

Who are the sadhus at Pashupatinath?

Sadhus are holy men who have given up household life. They gather at Pashupatinath for Shivaratri, camp at the temple, and keep bonfires burning through the night.

Culture · Shivaratri · Mahashivaratri · Night of Shiva

What is Maha Shivaratri?

महाशिवरात्रि

Maha Shivaratri is the night of Shiva: fasting, an all-night vigil, bel leaves and milk for the lingam, and sadhus gathering at Pashupatinath.

What Maha Shivaratri is

Maha Shivaratri, the great night of Shiva, is kept on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Falgun, usually a couple of weeks before Holi. Devotees fast through the day, stay awake through the night and worship Shiva, one of the three great gods of Hinduism.

Pashupatinath

In Nepal the great gathering is at Pashupatinath, Shiva's temple on the Bagmati in Kathmandu. Sadhus, holy men who have given up household life, come from across Nepal and India, in some years in their thousands. They keep bonfires burning through the night, and are treated as guests: housed and fed free during the festival.

Devotees queue to offer water, milk, flowers and bel leaves, and the temple and its banks are full from the night before.

How families keep it

Many people fast the whole day, some on fruit and milk and some with no food at all. They bathe at dawn, offer water, milk, honey and bel leaves to the Shiva lingam, chant Om Namah Shivaya and stay awake with bhajans. Bel (bilva) leaves, which grow in threes, are central to the worship, and are said to be where Laxmi lives.

Maha Shivaratri away from home

Hindu temples in the US hold an evening or all-night puja with rounds of abhishek, bhajans and a shared fruit meal. Bel leaves are hard to find in many places, so ask the temple, which often keeps a supply. Shivaratri is a working day in the US, so many families keep the fast and join the puja after work.

Common questions

Shivaratri kahile ho? When is Maha Shivaratri 2027?: It is kept on the night of the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Falgun, in February or March. The exact night is confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar.
Why are bel leaves offered to Shiva?: Bel, or bilva, leaves grow in groups of three and are held sacred to Shiva. They are central to the worship on Shivaratri.
Do you have to fast completely?: No. Some keep a fast without food or water, many eat only fruit and milk, and others fast for part of the day. It is a personal choice, and health comes first.
Who are the sadhus at Pashupatinath?: Sadhus are holy men who have given up household life. They gather at Pashupatinath for Shivaratri, camp at the temple, and keep bonfires burning through the night.