Mahashivaratri - Special Festival of Hindus:
Mahashivaratri is a special festival of Hindus. According to the Hindu calendar, Shivaratri is celebrated on the day of Phagun Krishna Chaturdashi.
On Shivaratri, devotees stay up all night to worship Lord Shiva and sing hymns. Some fast all night. She offers his fast only after offering water and bel leaves to the Shivalinga. Shivaratri has a special significance for women. The unmarried girl prays to Shiva and wishes for a good husband. Married women pray well wishes to their husbands and families.
According to religious beliefs, Lord Shankara descended from Brahma as Rudra at midnight on the same day at the beginning of creation. On the same day during the cataclysm, Lord Shiva danced Tandava and ended the universe by removing the flame from the third eye. That is why this day is called Mahashivaratri or Kalaratri.
On this day, it is customary to worship Shiva by staying awake all night, chanting hymns, and lighting tunes. Some even fast on this day. There is a Hindu belief that worshiping Shiva is worthwhile if one gets up in the morning, takes a bath, and offers bel leaves, water, and milk on the Shivalinga.
Saints from different parts of Nepal as well as India have come to the Pashupatinath temple premises for Mahashivaratri. Saints from different parts of the country as well as from India come for special worship and devotion on the day of Mahashivaratri in the Hindu deity Pashupatinath.
It is customary for the Pashupati Area Development Fund to bid farewell to the saints after the completion of Mahashivaratri. A special fair is also held in Pashupati area on the occasion of Mahashivaratri.
