Mumbai: At Sri Sankara Mattham, Matunga, the festival started with Mahanyasam and Ekadasa Rudra Japam, Abhidhekam (bathing) and Rudra Homam. The four Yaama began from the evening till the next day morning.

During the period, the priests performed Abhishekam of the ‘Lingodbhavamoorthi”, also called Sivalinga, a symbolic representation of the formless Supreme Being, and devotees participated in Poornabhishekam, Kramarchana and Laksharchana when they chanted the verse “Om Namah Shivaya one lakh times by offering Bilwa leaves.

Linga was bathed in milk, Dhahi, sugarcane juice, sandal paste, holy water, Bilva leaves, and Bhasma for the whole night. Other temples in Matunga, like Siva temple, South Indian Bhajana Samaj, and Marubai temple, also celebrate Mahashivratri.

Mahashivratri observed on the fourteenth night of the waning moon during Phalguna (February–March), is a spiritual and sacred event representing the union of Shiva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine forces that maintain the universe’s equilibrium.

On February 26 this year, the chants of the divine verse “Om Namah Shivaya” filled the air with devotion and love ’on the Mahashivratri in all the Siva temples across the country.

Devotees, with unwavering devotion, celebrated the day and night, which is also called the “Great Night of Lord Shiva”, and they prayed and meditated, seeking divine blessings.

It is believed that Shivratri is the festival of the union of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati; all devotees will have a great opportunity when they perform various religious and spiritual activities.

Moreover, the unique and significant aspect was that Shivratri was celebrated on the last day of Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the biggest spiritual gatherings in Prayagraj, adding an extra layer of spiritual significance to the celebration.

It is believed that divine cosmic energies can bless one by staying awake the whole night and doing puja. It is also the night when Lord Shiva performed Tandav, the dance of cosmic creation, preservation, and destruction.