Mahashivaratri: A Celebration of Lord Shiva's Divine Manifestations and Cultural Significance

In the Sanatana culture, Shiva is considered the Supreme God. Devotees also call him by names such as Mahadev, Ashutosh, Ishan, Mahesh, Harihar, Shankar, Rudra, and Girish. Among the three forms of God, Shiva is known as the destroyer. Shiva is worshipped in the Shaiva sect. Shiva is often worshipped in the form of a Shivling. His worshippers are called Shaivas.

In the Vedic period, the deity worshipped as Rudra later came to be worshipped by names like Shankar, Mahadev, and Shiva in the Puranic period. According to the Shiva Purana, his form is adorned with Ganga, the moon, the third eye, a garland of snakes and human skulls, sacred ash, a tiger skin, and the Trishula. His vehicle is Nandi. His bow is called Pinaka. He possesses the Pashupatastra. The Shiva Purana contains many stories about his valor and compassion.

Mahashivaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. The Mahashivaratri festival is celebrated every year with fasting, worship, Abhishek (ritual bathing), lighting of sacred fires (Dhuni), and all-night vigils (Jagaran).

The night preceding the new moon day (Aunsi) of a lunar month is called Shivaratri. There are 12-13 Shivaratris in a year, among which the Shivaratri falling in Magh (or Falgun) is called Mahashivaratri. Shivaratri is spiritually considered the night of awakening.

Mahashivaratri is more popularly known in society as a wedding celebration. The Shivaratri observed on the night of Falgun Krishna Chaturdashi is the sacred night of the union (marriage) of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This festival symbolizes the manifestation of Shiva from his formless to his form—the Shivling—which is related to the story of the origin of the Jyotirlinga, proving Shiva's supremacy. On this day, Sanatanis observe Chaturdashi fasting, perform worship and rituals, and keep an all-night vigil. On this night, the planets in the Northern Hemisphere are in a special alignment, causing energies in people to naturally move upwards.

According to scriptures, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati took place on this very night. Therefore, it is called Mahashivaratri, meaning 'The Great Night of Shiva.'

On this night, Lord Shiva first appeared in the form of a Shivling, which symbolizes his beginningless and endless nature.

Similarly, during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), Shiva consumed the Halahala poison that emerged, thus saving the world. To counteract the effect of the poison, the gods poured water on him, which signifies the importance of Shiva worship on the night of Mahashivaratri.

Every year in Nepal, the Mahashivaratri festival is celebrated with great fervor on the Chaturdashi of Falgun Krishna Paksha. Along with religious and spiritual awakening, Army Day is also celebrated with a grand procession in the national capital Kathmandu's Tundikhel on the same day.

Many religious sites are found in Nepal since ancient times. There are numerous monasteries, temples, and pilgrimage sites dedicated to Lord Shiva in various parts of Nepal. The revered Lord Pashupatinath is a world-famous pilgrimage site. Nepal is also a route for pilgrims heading to Kailash, the abode of Shiva.

Since Lord Shiva is an accessible deity for everyone—young and old, rich and poor, knowledgeable and ignorant—there is a significant presence of Shiva temples in all villages and towns of the Terai-Madhesh region.

There are numerous Shiva temples in Janakpur and its surrounding areas. Famous Shiva temples include the Shiva Temple at Shivachowk, Bhootnath at Gangasagar, Kapileshwarnath Mahadev, Kupshwarnath Mahadev, Kshireswarnath Mahadev, Sapteshwarnath Mahadev Temple at Satoshar, Kalyaneshwarnath Mahadev in the border area, and Jaleshwarnath Mahadev in Jaleshwar, Mahottari.

There are many Shiva temples in Saptari. Famous Shiva temples in Saptari include the Ankuri Mahadev Temple of Mahadeva, Laleshwarnath Mahadev Temple in Lalapatti, Shambhunath Baba's Temple in Shambhunath, Mahadev Temple in Mahadevpatti, Bhajneshwarnath Shiva-Parvati Temple in Ghoghanpur, and Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple in Rajbiraj.

The district headquarters of Saptari, Rajbiraj, is named after the Sen-era Rajdevi Temple located there.

Rajbiraj is the first planned city in Nepal, established according to town planning eight decades ago. After the Saptakoshi River eroded Hanuman Nagar, the then district headquarters of Saptari, the headquarters was shifted to Rajbiraj in B.S. 1998 as an alternative. The Rajbiraj city area has temples dedicated to Rajdevi, Durga, Bhagyeshwari, Hanuman, Ram-Janaki, Ganesh, Radha-Krishna, Vishnu, Vaishnavi Kali, Mahadev, and others.

There are many Shiva temples in Rajbiraj. Among them, the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple is the oldest. The deities from the temples located in the town of Narahawaraha, which was affected by the erosion of the Saptakoshi River, were brought to Rajbiraj and installed. According to historian Harikant Lal Das, the Shivling from that Narahawaraha was brought to Manasapur village and worshipped in a hut.

Historian Harikant Lal Das mentions in his published research book, 'Political History of Saptari and Major Religious Sites of the District,' that while this temple was in Narahawaraha, the descendant priest, Uchit Bharati, brought the Shivling from the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple to Hanuman Nagar around B.S. 1997-98 due to the Kosi erosion, kept it in a simple house in Manasapur village with the help of the villagers, and worshipped it there for about two years.

After that, the Shivling was brought to Rajbiraj. In B.S. 2013, when His Majesty King Mahendra visited Rajbiraj, the Shivling was established under a Peepal tree in front of the present-day Mahendra Club, and His Majesty Mahendra paid respects to the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Shivling at that very spot.

A few years later, a devotee named Babusaheb from Bhabhangama Katti constructed the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple at his own expense. Since the Hanuman Temple is adjacent to that temple, making the complex look new, the residents of Rajbiraj do not consider the Mahadev Temple to be old. Historian Das speculates that the Shivling in this temple, like other temples in Rajbiraj city, might also be relatively new.

According to historian Das, in terms of antiquity, the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple in Rajbiraj can be considered the second oldest temple after Rajdevi. The construction of this temple occurred only after the establishment of Rajbiraj city, but the Shivling installed inside the temple is very old. The Pokhrels of Kharpa provided financial assistance to His Majesty Prithvi Narayan Shah during his victorious campaign in the eastern region for the unification of Nepal.

After the victory over Chaudandi, Harinand Pokhrel of Kharpa established a temple in Naraha, about 3 miles east of Hanuman Nagar, in B.S. 1840 and established a trust (Guthi) in B.S. 1841. Since Harinand Pokhrel (Upadhyay) himself established the Mahadev, it was named Harinandeshwar Mahadev. As the worship of Mahadev was traditionally performed only by the Sanyasi caste, the founder Pokhrel appointed a Sanyasi named Shiva Bharati for its worship and maintenance, granting that Sanyasi Kush Birtas (land grant).

It is natural for special worship and adoration to take place in all temples around the world on the occasion of Mahashivaratri, but the grandeur reaches its peak in Shiva temples. The crowds of devotees in the Shiva temples on Mahashivaratri resemble the Kumbh Mela. The Shivaratri is celebrated with grand programs traditionally at the temples in Rajbiraj, especially the Shiva temples, and particularly at the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple. Religious programs such as lighting sacred fires, discourses, and evening devotional songs (Bhajansandhya) are organized, followed by an all-night vigil.

Early in the morning, thousands of devotees carrying water in Kanwars (pots) walk 22 kilometers from the Saptakoshi River to perform Abhishek (ritual bathing) of the Shivling.

This year too, all preparations for Shivaratri have been completed at the Harinandeshwar Mahadev Temple. Various civilian, army, and police organizations in the temple courtyard provide distribution services such as Panchamrit, milk, Belpatra, water, medicinal herbs, and worship materials to enhance the glory of the festival. Organizations such as Brahma Kumari Rajyog Seva Kendra, Marwari Mahila Manch, Rajbiraj Jaycees, Vishwa Hindu Yuva Sangh, Narsingh Hindu Sena Nepal, and United Development have participated in previous years.

On the occasion of Mahashivaratri, thousands of devotees worship and have darshan of Lord Shiva at the Shambhunath Baba Temple in Shambhunath, as they do every year. Similarly, devotees offer milk, water, and fruits for worship from early morning at Shiva temples in Kanchanrup Municipality, the Shiva Temple in Hanuman Nagar, the Shiva temple in Fatehpur, the Ankuri Mahadev Temple in Mahadeva, the Laleshwarnath Mahadev Temple in Lalapatti, and other Shiva temples in various villages.

Devotees who have had their wishes fulfilled often proceed to the Shiva temples by dragging themselves on the road (Dand Pranam) or by singing and dancing.

'Har Har Mahadev' is a Sanskrit shloka praising Shiva. This slogan fills the atmosphere during Shivaratri.

Mahashivaratri is a divine festival of self-purification, spiritual practice, and awakening of consciousness. Lord Shiva is considered a deity who is pleased quickly, which is why Shiva is also called Ashutosh. The eleven items dear to him are Rudraksha, sacred ash (Bhasma), sandalwood paste, Akshat (unbroken rice), water, milk, Belpatra, Aak (Calotropis), Datura, Bhang, and camphor.

(The author is knowledgeable in history, culture, and contemporary issues.)