NEW DELHI: Hindu devotees are celebrating the festival of Mahashivaratri with traditional and religious fervor across the country today.
In Varanasi, scores of people gathered on the banks of the Ganges River to take a holy dip and conducted prayers for peace.
“Today is the auspicious occasion of Shivratri. Young unmarried girls keep fasts with the hope of securing good husbands for themselves. The married women observe the fasts for marking the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Devotees make donations and also indulge in religious activities. People celebrate Shivratri for washing off their sins,” said Manoj Pandey, a priest.
Mahashivratri celebrations were also observed in other parts of India as well and large numbers of devotees were seen gathering outside temples in Jammu and Kashmir.
The same level of crowd was also witnessed outside temples in New Delhi where people stood in long queues as they waited for their turn to make offerings to the Lord Shiva.
“Today is the occasion of Shivratri and it is also the marriage day of Shiva. We have all come to the temple of Lord Shiva to take part in the festivities. We are all very happy to have gathered here,” said Anuj Chhabra, a devotee.
The festival celebrates the marriage of Lord Shiva to the Goddess Parvati, and holds immense importance in Hindu religion.
Among the gods assigned importance in the Hindu religion, Shiva holds a special place for his role in both creation and destruction.
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