Maha Shivaratri festival guide

Month

February or March (Tamil month of Maasi)

Deity

Lord Shiva

Key rituals

Fasting, abhishekam, all-night vigil

When it happens

The festival falls on the fourteenth night of the waning moon in the Tamil month of Maasi, which usually lands in February or early March. The main observance runs through the night, and temples stay open until the early hours.

How it is celebrated

Many devotees fast for the whole day and night, taking only water or fruit, seeing it as a way to train self-control rather than simply going hungry. The night is divided into four quarters, or jaamams, with a separate puja in each. The Shiva lingam is bathed in milk, curd, honey, sandalwood paste and water, and offerings of cooked rice and sacred ash follow. Bilva (vilva) leaves, whose three-part form is linked to Shiva's trident and three eyes, are placed on the lingam while the five-syllable mantra Om Namah Shivaya is chanted.

Temples are lit with oil lamps and decorated with flowers. Through the night, devotees sing Thevaram and Thiruvasagam hymns, read from the Shiva Purana, listen to discourses and join in bhajans. It is widely held that staying awake and focused on Shiva on this night brings great spiritual merit.

A Tamil Nadu custom

Across Tamil Nadu, a strong tradition exists of spending Shivaratri at the kula deivam, or family deity temple, often in the ancestral village. Families who live far away travel back for the night, so temples in smaller towns can be as crowded as the famous ones.

Where to see it

Large Shiva temples such as Chidambaram, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram and Rameswaram draw big crowds, and many hold classical dance and music programmes through the night. The Vriddhagiriswarar temple in our home town of Virudhachalam also celebrates the night in full. Expect long queues, dress modestly and carry little, as bags are often checked. We can arrange temple visits and transport around the festival.