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A Shiva lingam adorned with bilva leaves under a crescent moon on Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri

Lord Shiva

Upcoming
Sat, 6 Mar 2027
in 273 days
Major festival Major
Maha Shivaratri 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 March 2027. Unlike most festivals, it is kept at night: devotees fast through the day and worship Shiva across the four quarters of the night, with the main puja at the midnight Nishita Kaal. It always lands on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Phalguna, just before the new moon, which is why the Gregorian date shifts each year between mid-February and early March.

When it falls

The date shifts because it tracks the moon, not the Gregorian calendar.

2024 Mar 8
Fri
2025 Feb 26
Wed
2026 Feb 15
Sun
2027 Mar 6
Sat
2028 Feb 23
Wed
2029 Feb 11
Sun

Calculated for India (IST) using precise Panchang astronomy. Dates can shift by a day at locations far to the east or west.

Significance & story

Maha Shivaratri means "the great night of Shiva," and it is one of the few major festivals deliberately kept after dark. Where most festivals centre on a daytime puja and a shared meal, this one is built around staying awake through the night — fasting, keeping the lamp lit, and worshipping Shiva while the rest of the world sleeps.

Several stories are attached to the night, and the tradition keeps all of them. In one telling it is the night Shiva and Parvati were married. In another it is the night Shiva performed the Tandava, the cosmic dance. A third, much-loved account tells of a hunter who, stranded in a tree overnight, unknowingly dropped bel leaves onto a Shiva linga below and stayed awake through the dark hours — an unintended vigil that earned Shiva's grace. The common thread is wakefulness and devotion held steady through the night.

Astronomically, it sits on the fourteenth tithi of the waning moon (Krishna Chaturdashi) in Phalguna, the night before the new moon (Amavasya). The moon is almost gone — a thin sliver at most — and the tradition treats that near-darkness as a fitting setting for inner attention rather than something to avoid. The lunar timing is also why the festival cannot be fixed to a single Gregorian date.

Rituals & observance

How Maha Shivaratri is kept:

  • Most observers keep a full day-long fast, taken with varying strictness — some go without food and water, others allow fruit, milk and non-grain foods through the day.
  • The Shiva linga is bathed in an abhishekam — water, milk, curd, honey and ghee poured over it — and offered bel (bilva) leaves, which are considered especially dear to Shiva.
  • The defining rite is the night vigil (jagran), with puja repeated across the four quarters (prahars) of the night rather than a single sitting.
  • The principal worship is done at the midnight Nishita Kaal — the puja window for 2027 is {{muhurat.nishita}}.
  • Through the night devotees chant "Om Namah Shivaya" and recite or listen to the Shiva Purana and the Rudram, keeping a lamp burning until dawn.
  • The fast is broken the next morning after the night's worship is complete, not at midnight.

Regional variations

Sawan / Shravan
Maha Shivaratri is the year's single great Shiva night, but it is not the only time Shiva is honoured. The Mondays of the monsoon month of Shravan are also kept for him with fasting and abhishekam — see Sawan Somwar.
South India
In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka the night vigil is especially central, with large gatherings at major Shiva temples, including the pancha bhuta sthalams. The fast and jagran are often kept more strictly here than the daytime celebration seen for other festivals.
How this date is determined

Observed on the Chaturdashi tithi of Phalguna (Krishna paksha), reckoned by midnight (nishita kala).

Dates are computed to astronomical precision (NASA/JPL ephemeris), in line with traditional panchang.

Frequently asked

What date is Maha Shivaratri in 2027?
Maha Shivaratri 2027 is on Saturday, 6 March 2027. The fast is kept through that day and the main worship runs into the following night.
Why does the date of Maha Shivaratri change every year?
It follows the Hindu lunar calendar, falling on the Chaturdashi (fourteenth tithi) of the waning fortnight in the month of Phalguna. Because lunar months do not line up with the Gregorian year, the date drifts between mid-February and early March.
What time is the Maha Shivaratri puja?
The most important worship is at the midnight Nishita Kaal — the puja window for 2027 is {{muhurat.nishita}}. Many also worship across all four prahars (quarters) of the night, so the observance spans from dusk to dawn rather than a single hour.
Why is Maha Shivaratri observed at night and not during the day?
Unlike most festivals, the night is the point. The tradition treats the all-night vigil — staying awake, fasting and worshipping while the moon is nearly dark — as the core act of devotion, with the midnight hour held to be the most significant for Shiva worship.
What should be offered to Shiva on this day?
The classic offerings are an abhishekam (a bath of water, milk, curd, honey and ghee over the linga) and bel (bilva) leaves, which are considered especially dear to Shiva. Dhatura flowers, bhang and sacred ash (vibhuti) are also traditional in many places.

Plan around it

Panchang Choghadiya muhurat Festival calendar Your Kundli