Mahashivratri means the great night dedicated to Lord Shiva, He is called as the ascetic God of Hindus. It is the day Lord Shiva was married to the Goddess Parvati. This year Mahashivratri festival is falling on 7th March (At some places it will be celebrated on March 8 also).
10 Best Places to travel to and celebrate Mahashivaratri
If you are travelling anywhere in India, and happen to be at one of these places, you are the right place at the right time!
1. Mandi , Himachal Pradesh
Even though Mandi is a hamlet in Himachal Pradesh, the Mahashivratri celebration here will blow your mind away! Bhootnath Temple hosts the festival celebrations.
The legend has it that around 5 centuries back, the royal family of Mandi started the week-long tradition of organizing a Mandi Shivratri Fair. This fair has now been looked forward to by Indian devotees and International tourists.
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| Mahashivratri celebrations at Bhoothnath temple, Mandi (Source) |
2. Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Mahashivaratri in celebrated largely in Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple which is one of the 12 Jyortirlingas. The festival is celebrated on the banks of river Kshipra near the Mahakal forest in Madhya Pradesh.
The temple gets its name from the forest which has been of religious importance to the locals due to its mention in the puranas.
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| Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain (Source) |
3. Haridwar and Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Haridwar and Rishikesh are places visited by lakhs of devotees during Mahashivratri. Known for its ghats, Haridwar is visited by people who offer prayers at Har ki Pauri. At Rishikesh, most devotees offer prayers at the Neelkanth Mahadev temple.
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| Lord Shiva statue, Rishikesh (Source) |
4. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Whole of Varanasi comes together to participate in re-enacting the wedding ceremony of Shiva and Parvati. You can offer your prayers at Kashi Vishvanath Temple and Tilbhandeshwar temple in southern Varanasi. The latter is one of the few places in India where people dance in processions after drinking bhaang- a cannabis and sweetened milk preparation.
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| Tilbhandeshwar Temple, Varanasi (Source) |
5. Srikalahasti and Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
Mahashivratri is celebrated with great zeal in Andhra Pradesh. Several devotees visit the famous Shiva temples of the state and offer prayer, chant mantras in honour of Lord Shiva and do fast also. This festival is celebrated with great energy and splendour in Sri Kalahasteshwara Temple at Srikalahasti and at Bharamarambha Malikarjuna Swamy Temple at Srisailam.
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| Bhramarambha Mallikharjuna Swamy Temple (Source) |
6. Guwahati and Sibsagar , Assam
In Assam the celebration of Shivratri is at Umananda Temple which is placed on the Peacock Island in the mid of the famous Brahmaputra river in Guwahati.
Numerous Shiva devotees visit to the temple on this pious occasion. Sibsagar which is the capital of erstwhile Ahom Kings is another major place for celebrating this grand festival.
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| Umananda Temple, Guwahati (Source) |
7. Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Mahashivratri is celebrated in Khajuraho with great pomp and fervor. People take a dip in the Sagar tank along with a large number of people visiting the Matangeshwar Temple for the 10-day-long fair.
It is visited by people from all walks of life, who come to offer prayers and seek blessings from Shiva for prosperity.
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| Matangeshwar Temple (Source) |
8. Eklingji Temple, Mount Abu, Rajasthan
Eklingji Temple is one of the most well-known shrines of Rajasthan. This prehistoric “double-storied” shrine is an architectural spectacle. The temple has a massive ‘Mandap’ with exceptional carvings protected by the profound pyramidal covering. The temple has an outstanding 4-faced statue of Eklingji (Deity Shiva) that is created with rare black marble.
Being engraved from the beautiful black marble, the 50 ft tall statue of 4-faced Eklingji represents the 4 forms of Deity Shiva and is the most prominent feature of the shrine.
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| Eklingji Temple, Mount Abu (Source) |
9. Somnath Temple, Gujarat
Somnath Temple Jyotirlinga is considered to be the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva and is a revered pilgrimage center in India. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God".
The Somnath Temple is known as 'The Shrine Eternal', as the temple has been destroyed six times, but was rebuilt on each occasion.
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| Somnath Temple, Gujarat (Source) |
10. Puri, Odisha
Mahashivaratri celebration at Lokanath Temple, Puri is also quite popular. According to a legend popular in Orissa, long ago, Puri was a centre of Shiva worship. The legend says that Lord Ramachandra himself installed the Lingam in the Lokanath Temple.
This lingam is kept submerged, in a vat of water. It can only be seen on Pankodhar Ekadasi, before Shivaratri, when the water is removed from the vat. On that day, thousands of devotees come for a darshan.
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| Lokanath Temple, Puri (Source) |
Some other places you can celebrate Mahashivratri in India are
1. Tarkeshwar Temple, Lansdowne, Uttarakhand
2. Amarnath Temple, Jammu and Kashmir
3. Ramanathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu
4. Lingaraja Temple, Odisha
5. Murudeshwara Temple, Karnataka
6. Tungnath Temple, Chopta, Uttarakhand
7. Bhojpur Shiva Temple, Bhopal
8. Kailashnath Temple, Ellora
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