Category: Maha Shivratri

Mahashivratri Katha and Rituals:

There is a beautiful story behind the celebration of the festival of Mahashivratri in India.

Once upon a time there was a king in Jambudvipa named Chitrabhanu. He was fasting a day and that day was the Mahashivratri. The sage Ashtravakra come to the king Chitrabhanu in his court on this day and asked to him “hey king, why are you fasting the day”. Then the king replied to him

“In my previous birth I was a hunter. Once a day I was in search of animal for hunting went to a forest. After much of the time I killed a deer but I got late and the sunset was done.

Then I tried to spend my time on a bael leaves tree. I tied my killed deer on the branch of the tree. But I was hungry so I can not sleep for the whole night and remembering my family who were hunger too. I was thrown the leaves of the tree on the bottom of the ground from the tree.

At the ending of my life there was two messengers sent to me for conduct me about the lord Shiva. Then I felt the importance of the night which I spent in the forest. On this night I was served to lord Shiva without taking a piece of meal. This became ‘Punya’ for me. So I worship lord Shiva and followed the fast on the day of Mahashivrati each of the year.”

After it in India the festival of Mahashivrati celebrated each of the years with the great enthusiasm and joys among the people from the Hindu religion.