Maha Shivaratri
महाशिवरात्रि
March 6, 2027 · Falgun 22, 2083 BS
Nationwide (Pashupatinath especially)
Plan a trip around Maha ShivaratriHistory & origin
Commemorates Shiva on the night tradition holds he performed the tandava, his cosmic dance of creation and destruction; some accounts also mark it as the night of Shiva's wedding to Parvati.
How it’s celebrated
Devotees fast through the day and keep an all-night vigil, chanting mantras and offering bael leaves, milk and water to Shiva lingams. Pashupatinath draws the largest gathering by far, with sadhus — many having traveled from India — camping along the Bagmati riverbanks in the days before, smearing themselves with ash and holding court for pilgrims and onlookers.
Tips for visitors
Pashupatinath is extraordinarily crowded and atmospheric on this day, with sadhus gathering from across Nepal and India — a powerful but very busy time to visit the temple.
Related journeys — Hindu Pilgrimage
Sacred Nepal: Two Traditions
A ten-day comparative journey through Nepal's Hindu and Buddhist sacred landscapes, from Kathmandu's temples to Namo Buddha and Lumbini.
Muktinath Pilgrimage Journey
A seven-day pilgrimage to Muktinath, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, traveling from Pokhara through the dramatic high-altitude landscape of Lower Mustang.
Pashupatinath & Guhyeshwari
A four-day journey anchored around Pashupatinath, one of the most significant Shiva temples in the world, and neighboring Guhyeshwari, a major Shakti site on the same stretch of the Bagmati.
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