Maha Shivaratri
Also called Shivaratri, Maha Shivratri
When
Saturday, 6 March 2027 in 191 days
New Delhi ยท change location
at sunrise. This observance is governed by nishita, not by the sunrise tithi โ which is why the tithi named here is often not the one the festival is named for.
See the complete panchang for that day โ
Governed by
Why this date?
Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of Phalguna (purnimanta) โ the same night that amanta calendars place in Magha. The governing period is NISHITA KALA, the middle of the night, not sunrise. This is why the observance can fall on the civil day BEFORE the one whose sunrise carries Chaturdashi, and why a sunrise-based reading of the tithi gives the wrong answer here more often than for any other major festival.
- Computed by the panchanga engine for your location
- Follows a written selection rule, not a copied list
- The governing period is stated, and the rule is applied to it
- The written guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar
- Calendars using a sunrise rule may show the previous day.
The governing period is nishita โ the middle of the night โ so the observance can fall on the civil day before the one whose sunrise carries Chaturdashi.
Dates come from the calculation engine and are independent of the written guide. How we calculate โ
Dates in the coming years
- Saturday, 6 March 2027 in 191 days
- Wednesday, 23 February 2028 in 545 days
- Sunday, 11 February 2029 in 899 days
- Saturday, 2 March 2030 in 1283 days
Published to 2030. Later years appear as the dataset is extended and validated.
What In short
The great night of Shiva. Kept with a day-long fast, an all-night vigil in four watches, and abhisheka โ the pouring of water, milk, honey and other substances over the Shiva linga.
- Deity: Shiva
Why The reason behind it
Several accounts are current and the tradition has never insisted on one: the night Shiva performed the tandava; the night of his marriage to Parvati; the night he drank the halahala poison at the churning of the ocean and held it in his throat. The practice is more settled than the story โ jagarana (staying awake) and upavasa (fasting) are what the sources agree on.
Traditional basis
Shiva Purana, Vidyeshvara Samhita โ Sets out the fast, the vigil, and the four prahara worship.
Skanda Purana and Garuda Purana โ Carry the Shivaratri vrata-katha and the merit ascribed to the night.
How At home, step by step
- Bathe and take the sankalpa in the morning; state the fast you intend to keep.
- Visit a Shiva temple, or set up the worship at home before a linga or an image.
- Perform abhisheka โ water first, then milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar if the family keeps the panchamrita order, water again to close.
- Offer bilva (bel) leaves in threes, with the smooth side down. Bilva is the one offering no Shiva worship omits.
- Keep the vigil through the four watches of the night, with a round of worship in each; the nishita watch is the central one.
- Break the fast the next morning after the concluding worship โ not at midnight.
เฅ เคจเคฎเค เคถเคฟเคตเคพเคฏ
oแน namaแธฅ ลivฤya
Salutations to Shiva.
The panchakshara. Universally recited; no initiation required for household use.
What you'll need
- Bilva (bel) leaves
- Water, and milk if performing panchamrita
- Honey, curd, ghee, sugar
- Dhatura or aak flowers, where customary
- Vibhuti (sacred ash)
- Rudraksha, if the household keeps them
- Ghee lamp and incense
Fasting and breaking the fast
A full fast is traditional: nirjala (without water) for those able, or phalahara โ fruit, milk and non-grain foods โ for most households. Grains, salt and pulses are set aside. The parana (breaking) is on the following morning after the last worship, and doing it too early is the commonest mistake.
Fasting guidance here describes traditional practice. It is not medical advice โ if you are pregnant, diabetic, on medication or unwell, ask a doctor about your own circumstances.
Personal In your region
- North India yours
Kanwar-style water offerings and long temple queues, especially at the jyotirlinga sites. - Tamil Nadu (Tamil)
Kept with an all-night vigil and Thiruvathirai-style temple observance; the Nataraja abhisheka at Chidambaram is a major draw. - Karnataka (Kannada)
Kept alongside the regional Shivaratri jatras; in coastal Karnataka the vigil is community-wide. - Nepal (Nepali)
The Pashupatinath observance draws sadhus from across the subcontinent; the day is a public holiday.
For children
Tonight people stay awake to keep Shiva company, and pour water and milk over the shivling to cool him โ because in one story he swallowed a poison to save everyone and it burned his throat.
Common questions
- Why does my calendar show Shivaratri a day earlier than my relatives'?
- Because the night matters, not the day. The rule is nishita kala โ the middle watch of the night. If Chaturdashi covers midnight on one civil day but sunrise on the next, a nishita-based calendar and a sunrise-based one will name different days. Ours uses nishita, which is the classical rule for this observance.
- Can I break the fast at midnight after the puja?
- The traditional parana is the next morning, after the concluding worship. Breaking at midnight ends the vigil that is the point of the observance.
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a named scholar or practising priest. The dates and times on this page come from the calculation engine and are independent of it; the explanatory text is editorial and may not reflect your family's practice. Tell us if something is wrong.