Maha Shivaratri Celebrations In Spiritual Cities: A Guide To India’s Holiest Shiva Sites For Senior Travellers

Mahashivaratri is celebrated worshiping the Lord Shiva. The festival is celebrated in many places across the country from major cities to villages through grandeur, rituals and fasting. The temples are decorated with beautiful facades for people to perform worship rituals. The worship ritual is known as Rudrabhishekam, performed by the devotees offering milk, honey, sugar, ghee, yogurt to the Shiva Lingam. Prayers are offered through night vigils (Jagran) that allows includes religious depictions of Lord Shiva along with singing folk songs as well as dance performances in true traditional forms.

Mahashivratri is significantly celebrated in various cities with great splendour, these are some cities senior citizens can visit.

Varanasi

Varanasi, situated in Uttar Pradesh, one of the holiest cities for a small getaway allows you to experience the magnificence of the atmosphere created by thousands of the Lord Shiva’s devotees as they offer prayers in various temples through the cities. Chanting and prayers can be heard on ghats along with devotees taking a dip in the rivers.

Somnath

Somnath temple located in Gujarat is one of the jyotirlingas that pilgrims come to offer prayers to and where Mahashivratari is beautifully celebrated by decorating the temple with garlands and many things all from food and flowers are offered to lord Shiva, as well as lighting oil lamps.

Trimbakeshwar

Situated in Maharashtra, Trimbakeshwar is also one of the jyotirlingas of shiva. The temple is revered as the essence of the holy trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. A whole festival is organised where people put stalls of foods, and local folkarts to sell while offering prayers in a night-long procession and performing a special aarti.  

Mahakaleshwar

The Mahakaleshwar Temple, located in Ujjain, is a significant spiritual site for followers of Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and is celebrated with massive crowds of devotees. The temple organizes special prayers, Rudrabhishek, and live chanting of mantras throughout the night, accompanied by processions and devotional songs.

Rameswaram

The Ramanathaswamy Temple, located on Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu, is a sacred pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Shiva. During Mahashivaratri, devotees engage in night-long vigils, special ceremonies, processions, aartis, and rituals, offering prayers and offering prayers.