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महाशिवरात्रि

Maha Shivaratri 2027: date, stories, mantras and the night vigil

The great night of Shiva, on the fourteenth night of the waning moon before the new moon of Phalguna. In 2027 it falls on Saturday, 6 March; the midnight (niśītha) worship is from about 11:43 pm to 12:33 am in New Delhi.

DayFast and pujaMany fast from sunrise; temples hold abhishekam all day
NightThe four praharsWorship in four watches, from dusk to dawn
MidnightNishita kaalThe holiest hour of the night
Next morningParanaThe fast is gently broken

Verses checked against the source texts · Drafted with AI help and reviewed before publishing · Last reviewed 2026-11-12 · How we write

Why it is the great night

Every month has a Shivaratri, on the fourteenth night of the waning moon. Once a year, in Phalguna (Magha in the amanta calendar), it becomes Mahā Shivaratri — the great night. Several stories gather around it:

Shiva and ParvatiMany traditions celebrate it as the night of Shiva’s marriage to Parvati — the ascetic joined with the world.
The pillar of lightBrahma and Vishnu argued over who was greater. An endless column of fire appeared; one flew up as a swan, the other dug down as a boar, and neither found its end. Shiva revealed himself as that light.
The hunter’s nightThe Shiva Purana tells of a hunter who spent a night awake in a bilva tree, dropping leaves without knowing onto a linga below — and was blessed for a vigil he didn’t know he was keeping.

Mantras for the night

ॐ नमः शिवाय

oṁ namaḥ śivāya

Om, salutations to Shiva, the auspicious one.

Panchakshara mantra · from the Sri Rudram, Yajurveda

कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं
संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।
सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे
भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥

White as camphor, compassion embodied, the essence of the world, wearing the king of serpents as a garland, ever dwelling in the lotus of the heart — I bow to Shiva, together with Bhavani.

Traditional aarti shloka

Many devotees also chant the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra through the night.

How to keep the night

  1. Fast as you are able.Some keep a full fast; many eat fruit and milk. Follow your family’s custom.
  2. Offer abhishekam.Water or milk poured over the Shiva linga, with bilva leaves, at home or at a temple.
  3. Chant.Oṁ namaḥ śivāya, 108 times or through each prahar of the night.
  4. Stay awake.The jāgaraṇa — keeping awake with chanting, bhajans or quiet meditation, especially at midnight.
  5. Break the fast gently.The next morning, after sunrise, with a light meal.

If you are pregnant, elderly, diabetic or have any health condition, please check with your doctor before fasting. Devotion doesn’t require harming your health.

What the night asks of us

Shiva is the still centre around which everything moves. The night vigil is an invitation to the same stillness: one night of not sleeping through your life — of being awake, aware and quiet while the world rests.

Questions people ask

When is Maha Shivaratri in 2027?

Saturday, 6 March 2027. The nishita (midnight) puja is from about 11:43 pm on 6 March to 12:33 am on 7 March, in New Delhi. Check your local panchang for your city.

Why do people stay awake on Maha Shivaratri?

The night vigil (jagaran) is the heart of the festival — a night of chanting and meditation in Shiva’s honour, with the midnight hour considered the holiest.

What is the Panchakshara mantra?

“Om Namah Shivaya” — the five syllables na-maḥ-śi-vā-ya, found in the Sri Rudram of the Yajurveda.