According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is the most easily pleased of all gods. Yes, we’re used to following the easiest path. Maha Shivratri Festival falls on the 1 March 2022 and Shiva devotees are already exploring paths to make him happy and bring home lots of luck and fortune.
There is also a legend behind all of it
The festival’s literal translation is “Great Night of Shiva”, and there are many legends to back it up. This is not surprising considering our vast mythology!
- Many believe that it is the night Lord Shiva and Parvati married.
- Some believe that Shiva performs the heavenly dancing of creation, preservation, and destruction at night.
- Shivratri, also known as the annual festival of offering offerings to Lord Shiva to purify oneself from past sins, is also celebrated.
What is the best way to celebrate?
- On almost any significant day of religious significance, devotees follow the most popular tradition of fasting. It’s that simple.
- The Shiva temples are decorated with vibrant decorations, lights, and flowers.
- Shiva devotees who are fervently committed to the cause of Shiva visit temples at dawn to sing and study the scriptures.
- To make Shiva happy, you can offer him wood apple leaves, water and milk.
Spirituality is not a result of religion. It is a part of your soul. Sometimes all it takes to make a difference is one prayer.
You can make the most of this year by making the most of Maha Shivratri’s celebrations in the best locations.
1) Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Haridwar (Uttarakhand).
Ganga Ghats at Rishikesh and Haridwar are said to cleanse the soul and bring about divine peace. We Indians love to exploit loopholes.. we will do almost anything, then take a holy bath in Ganges.
Another note on Mahashivratri is that devotees can visit Shiva temples and fast, as well as attend Yoga sessions at Har Ki Pauri. This will help to restore the spiritual self.
2) Tilbhandeshwar Temple, Varanasi (UP).
Lord Shiva founded Varanasi. The holy Ganga Ghats, the holiest Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and devotees as ardent Aghori sadhus are Varanasi’s throat.
People perform the wedding procession of Lord Shiva & Parvati on the D-day. The parade moves through the city, ending at Tilbhandeshwar Temple. The celebrations last for approximately 5-6 hours, and devotees dance loudly and consume Bhaang (a form of Marijuana that Lord Shiva considers his prasad). You now know where to go!
3) Bhootnath Temple Mandi Himachal Pradesh
Mandi, a tranquil and beautiful village in Himachal Pradesh is called “Festival of God”. It may seem paradoxical, but Mahashivratri (Festival of God), is celebrated in the Bhootnath temple (Ghost Temple) with great enthusiasm and zeal.
A week-long event called the “International Mandi Shivratri Fair” is held, where hundreds of religious deities are brought to life in palanquins. To express their joy, people dance to music. The city is enlivened by a colorful and lively procession called Shobha Yatra. These historic celebrations bring together thousands of devotees.
4) Umananda Temple, Guwahati (Assam).
Assam celebrates Mahashivratri just like any other part of the country. People flock to the Umananda temple, where they become proud symbols of divine prayers and decorations.
Shiva dol, another temple located in Sibsagar, rises to a height of 104ft. As a sign of gratitude, devotees offer Shivalinga various items. To follow the rituals, incense sticks and lamps are also burned.
5) Matangeshwar Temple, Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh).
Mahashivratri celebrations are observed at Matangeshwar temple in Khajuraho. This is a grand event and therefore the associated magnificence. The best classical dancers lead a week-long dance festival.
The fair is a 10 day event that features many participants as well as a variety handicrafts. It also includes merry-go rounds, magic shows, rural circus, magic shows, folk theater, and merry go-rounds. The Lingam, 2.5m high, is bathed in water from the holy rivers. After the mantra chanting, woodapple leaves are given to the lingam.
6) Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh).
*Jyotirlinga sight
MahaShivratri is a time when the temple transforms into a wonderful festive scene. It is obvious that hundreds of thousands of devotees throng the temple premises. The queues are long and the lines are endless. However, you can take a shortcut and offer your prayers with Online Puja Services (yes, the so-called Indian jugaad). The festivities last for nine days, and the temple is filled with flowers. All the traditional rituals are performed on Mahashivratri’s last day.
]]>Here are a few ways to instill sanctity within you .Shravan: Shiva temples to see.
1. Somnath Temple in Gujarat
Shravan in Gujarat starts a little sooner than in North Indian states. People from all walks of the country flock to the temple to see the Somnath Mahotsava. Its devotion has earned it the respect of Hindus. The temple is open from 4 am to 10 pm during the Shravan festival.
2. Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar Temple
The Omkareshwar Temple is located on Shivpuri’s sacred island. It is one of the 12 jyotirlingas found in India. The island is in the shape ofOmIt is considered an auspicious spot. People from far-flung places travel to the temple to participate in the Shravan Mas, which is a holy celebration.
3. Uttar Pradesh, Kashi Vishwanath temple
The temple, which is located on the banks of the river Ganges, is dedicated to Vishwanath the Ruler of all the Universe. This temple is listed as the oldest temple in the world, with 3500 years of documented history. The month of Shravan is celebrated in Varanasi, a holy city. Every Monday in the month is decorated with different items. The festival begins with decorations for Lord Shiva on the first Monday and ends with Shri Rudrakshay decorations on the fourth Monday. The ceremony ofJhoola RingarIt is done with enthusiasm and great zeal.
4.Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra
It is remarkable that the three faces of the religious shrine represent Lord Brahma (Lord Vishnu), Lord Rudra (Lord Rudra) respectively. Shravan, a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in the temple premises. Naag Panchami, the full moon day, or Narali poonam are used to ornament the deity. The no moon day is also the time for the procession with oxen.
5. Lingaraj Temple in Odisha
It is the largest temple in Bhubaneshwar and hosts the biggest celebrations of all festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Shravan is a celebration in which Bol Bam pilgrims come together to carry water from Mahanadi up to the temple each year.
6. Taraknath Temple in West Bengal
Taraknath Temple was built in 1792 and is an example of Bengal Temple Architecture. Devotees are extremely dedicated to Lord Shiva and flock in large numbers to worship him. Mondays are the busiest days for worshippers. There are different colors to display on every Monday of Shravan Mah. Different decorations are used depending on the occasion, highlighting Bengal’s extravagant culture.
7. Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh
The temple, located in Srisailam District, is the only temple that can be considered a Jyotirlinga or a Shakti Peeth. Shravan is celebrated here as a meritorious festival.UtsavamsThey are held. Celebrate the festival with the utmost devotionAkhandaSivanama SankeerthanaIt is held. During the month of Shravan, Bhajans are performed on continuous notes.
8.Baba Baidyanath (Jharkhand)
Baba Baidyanath Dham belongs to the most sacred abodes for Lord Shiva. According to mythology, Ravana gave his ten heads to Lord Shiva on the present ground of the temple to receive the blessings of life. It is well-known for its Shravan Mela, during which thousands of pilgrims visit this holy shrine. Millions of devotees are seen walking barefoot to offer water from Sultanganj to the god.
9.Pashupatinath Temple – Kathmandu
Pashupatinath Temple is located on the banks and Bagmati River. Its energetic aartis leaves its devotees in awe. Pashupatinath Temple is believed to be the place where people who have died in it are reborn as human beings, regardless of any misdeeds.
10. Sukreswar Temple in Assam
The temple was built in 1744 by Ahom King Pramatta Singa. It is today the most important temple in Assam with Lord Shiva as its primary deity. A Shravan Mela, which sees millions of devotees singing Bole Bam and walking long distances to reach the temple every year during Shravan, is held every year.
These temples were dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shravan is one of the most important festivals. Be a witness of his supreme power by worshiping Lord Shiva!
]]>1) Amarnath
Amarnath is famous cave temple which is situated at an altitude of 3888 m in the peaks of Jammu and Kashmir. You can explore its major tourist places of Amarnath temple and they are naturally emerging ice lingam of Lord Shiva which is appeared once in a year only. The Amarnath pilgrimage or Amarnath Yatra is too laborious to visit there and to reach there you have to go through some of the rocky lands of Kashmiri peaks.
2) Kedarnath
The popular temple of Kedarnath is situated on the Garhwal Himalayan Range of Uttarakhand close to Mandakini River. The beautiful shrine is well-thought-out one of the most revered Shiva Temples for Hindus all over the world. The stunning destination is situated the mountainous hills of Himalaya, this Shiva temple is reckoned amongst the four locations of Chardham Yatra of Uttarakhand plus Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath.
3) Kashi Vishwanath
According to Hindu faiths and values, the person who taken last breath here in Kashi Vishwanath, and then gets freedom from the phase of rebirth. The shrine of Kashi Vishwanath is situated in one of the ancient towns of India – Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). The place of worship is reckoned amongst the twelve Jyotirlingas. The best time to visit this temple is on festival of Shiva Ratri.
4) Vaidyanath
According to Hindu legends, the striking temple of Vaidyanath is beautifully constructed on the destination where Ravana, the emperor of Lanka and an enthusiastic devotee of Shiva, given up his ten heads in an offer to give pleasure to the divinity. Delighted with Ravana’s dedication, the lord Shiva himself visited to Deoghar and then cured the detached head of Ravana as a doctor. Therefore, the temple’s name was replaced as Vaidyanath – Vaidya that means doctor and Nath indicates Lord. The temple is situated in Deoghar, Jharkhand.
5) Somnath
The temple of Somnath is situated in the Prabhas Kshetra in close proximity to Veraval in Saurashtra is Gujarat. The great importance of this temple that enhances as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines devoted to Lord Shiva. The temple has been damaged by foreign attackers for several times for its special arsenal of gems and jewelleries. The existing form of Somnath temple was rebuilt again in 1947.
5) Mahakaleshwar
This Shiva temple is situated in the eye-catching historical town of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the Mahakaleshwar temple signifies the god Mahakal. Mahakal is believed as the Lord of demise with three Lokas – heaven, earth, and hades. The place signifies the violent shape of Lord Shiva; the place of worship is also incorporated in the list of 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.
6) Omkareshwar
The fantastic Omkareshwar temple is truly situated on an island which represents the form of sign Om. The temple is located in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. The god Lord Omkareshwar is dedicated and worshipped mainly three times here such as the morning worship is held at the temple trust, at mid day the worship is applied by the priest of Scindia state and the evening one is done by the priest of the Holkar state.
7) Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar Temple is another famous Shiva temple which is situated in the town of Pune, Maharashtra. According to Hindu legends, to prevent the evil performance of an evil spirit who was named Tripurasur, the Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati appeared as a new form known as Ardhanarishwara.
8) Mallikarjuna Swamy
Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple is the best Shiva temple situated near bank of the River Krishna in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. The Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the shape of Mallikarjun and deity Parvati is worshipped here as Bhadrakali.
9) Lingaraj
This temple is indicated to the example of Kalinga Architectural Style, the Lingaraj shrine is worshipped to Lord Harihara, and presents as a personification of Lord Shiva. The Lord Shiva is worshipped here as Tribhuvaneshwara and deity Parvati is worshipped as Bhubaneshwari.
10) Kotilingeshwara
Around one crore Shivalingams are placed in Kotilingeshwara temple. The temple is situated in Kammasandra village of Kolar region of Karnataka. The major tourist spots of this Kotilingeshwara temple is the massive Shiva Lingam which is well thought-out as the maximum known Shiva Lingams worldwide.
]]>Leh-Ladakh is place where you can travel around loads of tourist attractions that will sure impress you and lore towards its unique charms of the destinations. The stunning destination has all magnificent monasteries and exquisite places to attractive villages and High Mountain goes through from there.
Let’s know more about Leh-Ladakh and talk about its all fascinating destinations to travel around:
Hemis National Park
Hemi National Park is nestled in the eastern part Ladakh of Jammu and Kashmir, Hemis National Park is widely known as the Snow Leopard Capital of India. And this place was founded in 1981, this national park a great home for protecting the huge density of flurry leopard in the world. Moreover, you can see in Hemis the national park that goes on the way to north of the Himalayas. Though, the place is an abode of 16 mammal species and 73 bird species.
What activities can you do here?
- View birdwatching in the Rumbak Valley
- See lots of snow leopards by trekking in the park.
- Visit a Markha Valley Trek.
Diskit Monastery
Another beautiful place is to spot in Leh-Ladakh is Diskit Monastery. This place is fully clad in white snow, here you can visit it’s oldest as well as largest monastery that is gompa is Nubra. Diskit Monastery was established during 14th century by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, an enthusiastic follower of Tsong Khapa, originator of Gelugpa.
What activities can you do here?
- Explore here iconic statue of Cho Rinpoche.
- Sightseeing this place that is around the 106 feet long statue of the Jampa Buddha atop a mount below the monastery.
Pangong Lake
This lake is well-located at an altitude of 4350 m on the Indo-China border, Pangong Lake is also the most popular travel destination in the world. In addition, this lake is also called as the Hollow Lake or Pangong Tso, this is one of Asia’s biggest saltwater lakes. Also, this lake is enclosed an area of around 100 km. However, two-thirds of this lagoon is in Tibet (Chinese territory), one-third of it situated in eastern Ladakh. Only about 160 km from Leh city, the place is endowed with remarkable environment. Throughout the cold season, the lake become hard and turns out to be the place of smooth ice skating festive season.
What activities can you do here?
- Participate is doing ice skating festival.
- Must relish beacon and live at Pangong Retreat Camp, Ladakh.
- Must see the striking sunrise in your cameras.
- Go to bird watching such as seagulls, ducks, and cranes.
Shanti Stupa
Shanti Stupa is situated around 5 km from Leh, and placed on a top of hill in Chanspa, and this stupa was constructed between 1983 and 1991. Also, is one of the top tourist spots in Leh. Moreover, this stupa was specially made by Japanese monks. The walls are engraved with golden panels that show the life of Lord Buddha. Dawn and dusk cannot be missed out and they are amazing to see from here.
What activities can you do here?
- You can visit and meditate the Buddha hall.
- Explore things around the stupa.
- Enjoy the spectacular views of the surroundings, Sunrise and Sunset.
- You can visit and show wide-ranging Buddhist reliefs.
Tso Moriri Lake
This lake is situated at an out-of-the-way place in the larger Himalayan ranges, visit the immaculate Tso Moriri Lake which is also called as the massive alpine lake in India. And this beautiful lake is positioned at a height of more than 15000 feet above the sea level in the jagged landscape; it seems the gift of nature. Due to its elevated height and rough voyage, the place is travelled by very few numbers of tourists. Amazing silhouette of the background can be viewed in the sapphire blue waters of the lagoon. The landscape of snow-covered infertile peaks at this place with serene environment looks fantastic.
What activities can you do here?
- Go for camping in Korzok, a nearby village
- Enjoy astounding sunrise
- Take snaps of unforgettable photographs
- Enjoy the tranquillity and striking scenery
Magnetic Hill
Magnetic Hill is placed around 30 km far from Leh-Kargil-Baltik national highway, and this spectacular hill is mostly a severity hill, which is awesome and eminent for generating magnetic assets. This appeal is too powerful and undoubtedly drags all a nonaligned car climbing. This mesmerizing hill positioned at an altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level. Though, it is believed that this is a visual fantasy that is really worth experiencing.
What activities can you do here?
- Enjoy visiting at Magnetic Hill.
- Explore the close to Gurudwara, maintained by the Indian Army.
