Happy Mahashivaratri: Hindu Devotees Celebrate the Festival With Religious Fervor

Thousands of Hindu devotees from across India and Pakistan on Monday celebrated the festival of Mahashivaratri with traditional religious fervor as chants of “bam bam bole” and “har har mahadev” reverberated in the air. Devotees from all over the country observed a fast and thronged Shiva temples to worship Lord Shiva. The festival is celebrated in the honor of Hindu God Shiva, one of the Trinity of Gods – the Creator, the Destroyer and the Preserver – who are intrinsic to Hindu mythology.

Pakistani Hindus too celebrated Mahashivratri after a gap of six years when a group of Indian pilgrims joined the festivities at the Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district in the Punjab province in Pakistan.

Hindu devotees pour milk over Shivling (a symbol of Lord Shiva) inside a temple during the Mahashivratri festival in the northern Indian city of Allahabad Feb. 20, 2012. (Reuters)

A hand of a Hindu holy man, or Sadhu, holds a trident at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu Feb. 20, 2012. (Reuters)

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, with tika on his forehead is seen at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu Feb. 20, 2012. (Reuters)

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, smokes marijuana on a chillum at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu Feb. 20, 2012. (Reuters)

A devotee dips herself at the Bagmati River while offering prayer on the eve of Shivaratri festival at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu Feb. 19, 2012. (Reuters)

A boy dressed as Hindu Lord Shiva bites the head of a python while performing at a park near a temple during the Mahashivratri festival in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh Feb. 20, 2012. (Reuters)

A priest offers an evening prayer as devotees sing holy songs on the eve of Shivaratri festival at the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu Feb. 19, 2012. (Reuters)