Marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
Another popular belief is that Mahashivratri is actually the celebration to mark the holy union of Lord Shiva and Parvati on this day.

Celebrations
On the day of Mahashivratri, celebrations take place in all the Shiva temples across India. The Shivlingam is bathed with the five sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya - milk, sour milk, urine, butter and dung. Thereafter the five foods of immortality - milk, clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar - are placed before the Shivlingam. Dhatura and Jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temple.

Devotees celebrate the day by observing a fast during the day and offer prayers through out the night. Some people do not consume even a drop of water.

The celebration differs from place to place. For example in Kashmir, unlike other places where Mahashivratri is only a daylong celebration, here the festival lasts for weeks. In the Kashmiri language, the festival is also known as Herath. The festival extends to about three weeks in Kashmiri Pandit households. Social performances are a regular feature in this part of the country on the occasion of Mahashivratri. During the first week they clean their homes. The second week is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. On the 13th night they worship Shiva and Parvati (also called Shakti). After the fast and worship, prasad is taken around mid-night. The next day is also observed as a day of worship and feast.

Some Temples
Although Mahashivratri is celebrated across the country at all Shiva temples, here are two of the better known temples.

The Shiv Khodi temple in the state of Jammu and Kashmir houses the largest natural Shivlingam on Earth. Pure water drips on this natural Shivling from the ceiling, continuously. On the Mahashivratri day, milk drips onto the Shivling. This mysterious flow of water and milk never stops and till date its origin has not been known.

Shiv Khodi, is located in district Udhampur of Jammu and Kashmir state of India. It is 114 km from Jammu city and 84 km from Katra, which is the base camp of Ma (Goddess) Vaishno Devi Shrine in the state.

Thal Kedar 16 km from the eastern most hill district of Uttar Pradesh, Pithoragarh is another place to visit. Pithoragarh is connected by air by Naini Saini airport, which is 5 km away. The nearest railhead is Tanakpur, which is 151 km away.

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- Payal Rajshekhar

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