Maha Shivratri

When it falls

Every month has a Shivratri, the fourteenth night (Chaturdashi) of the dark fortnight. The Maha Shivratri, the great one, is the Chaturdashi of the dark fortnight of Phalgun in the north Indian (purnimanta) calendar — the same night is called Magha Krishna Chaturdashi in the amanta calendar of the south and west, so the date is the same everywhere, only the month name differs. It usually falls in February or early March. The festival is observed on the night when Chaturdashi prevails at midnight (nishita kaal); check the Panchang for the exact timings.

Maha Shivratri dates in 2026 and 2027

Dates below are for New Delhi, from Drik Panchang. The night of worship begins on the evening of this date; the fast is broken (parana) the next morning.

Year	Maha Shivratri
2026	Sunday, 15 February
2027	Saturday, 6 March

The word Shivratri simply means "the night of Shiva". Most Hindu festivals are celebrated by day; this one belongs to the dark hours, and the darkest of the month, just before the new moon. Shaiva teachers read that as its point: Shiva is worshipped in the night, when the mind is quiet and the world asleep.

What the night celebrates

• Shiva's wedding to Parvati: the most popular belief is that this is the night Shiva married Parvati, after her long tapas won him back from his ascetic withdrawal. Many temples hold a wedding procession and ceremony.
• The pillar of light: the Shiva Purana tells how Brahma and Vishnu argued over who was greater, and an endless column of fire appeared between them. Vishnu as a boar dug down and Brahma as a swan flew up, and neither found its end. Shiva emerged from the pillar, the first linga, and this manifestation is remembered on Shivratri. It is the story behind the Lingashtakam and the worship of the Shivling.
• The hunter and the bel tree: a story told in the Shiva Purana: a hunter caught out at night climbed a bel tree to wait for prey. Restless and hungry, he kept plucking leaves and dropping them — onto a Shivling hidden below — and drops of water from his flask fell with them. Without knowing it, he had fasted, kept vigil and worshipped Shiva all night, and he was freed. The story is told to show that even unknowing devotion on this night is accepted.

The four prahars of the night

The night is divided into four prahars of roughly three hours each, and the devout perform an abhishek of the Shivling in each one — traditionally with milk in the first, curd in the second, ghee in the third and honey in the fourth, with water and bel leaves throughout. Temples stay open all night; at home, many families do at least one abhishek around midnight. For the method, see the Shivling jalabhishek guide and the Shiva puja vidhi.

What to offer, and what not to

• Offer: water and Ganga jal, milk, bel leaves (three-leaved, unbroken, smooth side towards the linga — see the bilvapatra mantra), datura and aak flowers, bhasma, sandalwood, rice and fruit.
• Avoid: tulsi leaves, kumkum and ketaki flowers, which by tradition are not offered to Shiva; and turmeric on the linga itself in many traditions.
• Half parikrama: a Shivling is circled only halfway, from the left, up to the outlet (jalahari or somasutra) where the abhishek water flows out; that channel is not stepped over. Devotees then turn back and complete the circle the other way.

The fast and the vigil

Most devotees fast through the day and night. Some keep a strict fast without food or water (nirjala); most take fruit, milk and vrat foods such as sabudana, makhana and kuttu. The fast is broken the next morning after bath and puja, within the parana time the Panchang gives. People who are unwell, pregnant, elderly or on regular medication should choose a light fruit-and-milk fast, or simply keep the night's worship; the fast is a support for devotion, not a test of endurance. Keeping awake through the night (jagaran) with the chant Om Namah Shivaya, the Shiva Chalisa, the Shiva Panchakshar Stotram and bhajans is the heart of the festival. The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is also widely chanted.

Keeping Maha Shivratri at home: step by step

1. Morning: bathe, wear clean (ideally white or light) clothes, and take a sankalp before Shiva stating that you will keep the fast and vigil.
2. During the day: visit a Shiva temple if you can and offer water and bel leaves; keep the fast you have chosen.
3. Evening: bathe again, set up the Shivling or an image of Shiva-Parvati, and begin the first prahar puja after sunset with water, milk and bel leaves.
4. Through the night: worship in as many of the four prahars as you can, and keep awake with the chant of Om Namah Shivaya, the Shiva Tandava Stotram, the Shiva Chalisa, bhajans or reading the Shiva Purana. The midnight (nishita) puja is the most important.
5. Close each puja with the aarti Om Jai Shiv Omkara.
6. Next morning: bathe, do a short puja, give food or charity, and break the fast in the parana time.

Maha Shivratri across India and Nepal

• The jyotirlingas: all twelve draw huge crowds, among them Kashi Vishwanath, Mahakaleshwar, Somnath and Kedarnath (whose doors are closed in winter; the reopening date is announced on Maha Shivratri). The Dwadash Jyotirlinga Stotram names all twelve.
• Varanasi: a Shiv baraat, Shiva's wedding procession with dancers dressed as his ganas, winds through the city to the temple.
• Kashmir, Herath: for Kashmiri Pandits this is among the most important days of the year, with the worship of a vessel (vatuk) representing Shiva and his attendants, and walnuts given as prasad afterwards.
• Nepal, Pashupatinath: lakhs of pilgrims and thousands of sadhus gather at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.
• Gujarat, Bhavnath fair: at the foot of Mount Girnar near Junagadh, a fair of sadhus culminates on Shivratri night.
• Himachal, Mandi Shivratri: a week-long fair to which the deities of the surrounding villages are carried in palanquins to pay homage to Raj Madhav Rai, the town's presiding deity, and to Shiva at the Bhootnath temple.
• Kumbh years: in the Haridwar and Prayagraj Kumbh, Maha Shivratri is one of the great bathing days.

Frequently asked questions

When is Maha Shivratri in 2027?

On Saturday, 6 March 2027 in New Delhi, with the fast broken the next morning. In 2026 it fell on 15 February.

What is the difference between Shivratri and Maha Shivratri?

Masik Shivratri falls every month on the dark-fortnight Chaturdashi. Maha Shivratri is the one in Phalgun (Magha in the amanta calendar), the most important of the year.

Why is Maha Shivratri celebrated?

For Shiva's wedding to Parvati and for his appearance as the endless pillar of light, the first linga. It is also a night of fasting and vigil for spiritual merit.

What should be offered to the Shivling on Maha Shivratri?

Water, milk, curd, ghee, honey, bel leaves, datura, bhasma and sandalwood. Tulsi, kumkum and ketaki flowers are traditionally not offered.

Can we eat during the Maha Shivratri fast?

Most devotees take fruit, milk and vrat foods such as sabudana or kuttu; some keep a waterless fast. The fast is broken the next morning.

Do we need to stay awake all night?

The vigil is central to the festival, but those who cannot stay up all night often worship at midnight and keep awake as long as they can.

Can women keep the Maha Shivratri fast?

Yes. Married women pray for their husband's long life and unmarried girls for a husband like Shiva; the fast is kept by people of every age and stage of life.

What is nishita kaal on Maha Shivratri?

The period around midnight, roughly 48 minutes long, considered the most sacred time of the night for Shiva puja. Its exact time differs by city and is given in the Panchang.

Why is only half a parikrama done around a Shivling?

Because the outlet through which the abhishek water flows (the jalahari or somasutra) is not to be crossed. Devotees go round from the left up to it, then turn back.