Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva.
| FactSnippet No. 772,175 |
15 Facts About Shivaratri
2.
Maha Shivaratri is an annual festival dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, and is particularly important in the Shaivism tradition of Hinduism.
| FactSnippet No. 772,176 |
3.
Furthermore, unlike most Hindu festivals which include expression of cultural revelry, the Maha Shivaratri is a solemn event notable for its introspective focus, fasting, meditation on Shiva, self study, social harmony and an all night vigil at Shiva temples.
| FactSnippet No. 772,177 |
4.
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated over three or ten days based on the Hindu luni-solar calendar.
| FactSnippet No. 772,178 |
5.
Maha Shivaratri is mentioned in several Puranas, particularly the Skanda Purana, Linga Purana and Padma Purana.
| FactSnippet No. 772,179 |
6.
The Maha Shivaratri has served as a historic confluence of artists for annual dance festivals at major Hindu temples such as at Konark, Khajuraho, Pattadakal, Modhera and Chidambaram.
| FactSnippet No. 772,180 |
7.
Similarly, at Khajuraho Shiva temples, a major fair and dance festival on Maha Shivaratri, involving Shaiva pilgrims camped over miles around the temple complex, was documented by Alexander Cunningham in 1864.
| FactSnippet No. 772,181 |
8.
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated in Tamil Nadu with great pomp and fanfare in the Annamalaiyar temple located in Tiruvannamalai district.
| FactSnippet No. 772,182 |
9.
Shivaratri, regarded as the most important festival of the community, for instance, is celebrated by them on trayodashi or the thirteenth of the dark half of the month of Phalguna and not on chaturdashi or the fourteenth as in the rest of the country.
| FactSnippet No. 772,183 |
10.
In Gujarat, Maha Shivaratri mela is held at Bhavnath near Junagadh where bathing in the Mrugi kund is considered holy.
| FactSnippet No. 772,184 |
11.
In West Bengal, Maha Shivaratri is observed devoutly by unmarried girls and boys seeking a suitable husband or wife, often visiting Tarakeswar.
| FactSnippet No. 772,185 |
12.
Maha Shivaratri is a national Holiday in Nepal and celebrated widely in temples all over the country, especially in the Pashupatinath temple.
| FactSnippet No. 772,186 |
13.
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated as Nepali Army Day amid a spectacular ceremony held at the Army Pavilion, Tundikhel.
| FactSnippet No. 772,187 |
14.
On Maha Shivaratri, married women pray for the well being of their husbands, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, considered as the ideal husband.
| FactSnippet No. 772,188 |