Hindus are celebrating Maha Shivratri, the ‘Great night of Lord Shiva’ today.
Maha Shivratri, which is observed on the fourteenth night of the waning moon during the month of Phalgun (February–March), is a very spiritual and sacred event that represents the union of Shiva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine forces that maintain the universe’s equilibrium. Chants of the divine verse ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ reverberated at Siva temples across the city.Devotees prepared for Maha Shivratri with prayers and meditation.
Many believe that by staying awake the night for puja can bless them with divine cosmic energies. This is the night when Lord Shiva performed tandav, the dance of cosmic creation, preservation, and destruction.Mumbai’s Shiva temples started religious rituals on Tuesday night. The city’s most important Shiva shrine, Babulnath near Girgaon Chowpatty, started celebrations at 12.01am on Wednesday.
“The jal abhishek of the Shiv Linga will start at this time and continue till 11.00 am on Wednesday. Devotees will visit the temple throughout the day for darshan,” said Mukesh Kanojia, the temple manager.At Sri Sankara Mattham, Matunga, the festival started on Tuesday with Mahanyasam and Ekadasa rudra Japam ,Abhidhekam (bathing )and Rudra homam. The four yaama began from the evening till the morning on Wednesday.
During the period, there will be abhishekam of the ‘Lingodbhavamoorthi” also called Shivalinga, and devotees participate in poornabhishekam, kramarchana, and laksharchana .
For the full night, the linga will be bathed with milk, dahi, sugarcane juice, sandal paste, holy water, bilva leaves and bhasma. At the Chinmaya Jagadeeshwara temple, an important Shiva shrine in the suburbs located inside the Chinmaya Mission campus on the banks of Powai lake, the religious programmes started at 5.00am on Wednesday.
“There will be darshan, kirtan, and bhajans during the whole day till 12.00am, a total of 19 hours when devotees can come for darshan. Devotees will also visit the museum dedicated to Swami Chinmayananda (founder of Chinmaya Mission),” said a volunteer at the centre.
The 125-year-old Balrajeshwar Mahadev temple in Mulund, another important Shiva temple in the suburbs, started the celebrations with a shobha yatra at 10.30pm on Tuesday. “Darshan to all devotees will start from 2.00am onwards. Prasad will be available to all devotees on Maha Shivratri day. This is a swayambhu shivling. This is the day when women also enter the garbhagriha (inner sanctum),” said Vishal Khatri, a devotee.
Other temples like the South Indian Bhajana Samaj and Marubai temple in Matunga, the Bhulingeshwar temple in Chembur, Shree Markandeshwar temple in Worli, the Walkeshwar temple at Banganga, and the 11th century Shree Ambreshwar temple in Ambarnath will have similar religious services. Maha Shivratri day will also be the last day of Maha Kumbh mela at Prayagraj.
