Om Sivaya namah
Om Mahe-shwaraya namah
Om Shambhave namah
Om Pinaakine namah
Om Sasi-shekha-raya namah
Om Vama-devaya namah
Om Virupakshaya namah
Om Kapardhine namah
Om Nila-lohitaya namah
Om Shankaraya namah
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Maha Sivarathri Festival
Maha Sivarathri is a festival day devoted to Lord Siva, celebrated on the amavaasai day in the month of Maasi. Sivaratri also signifies the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Unlike each Hindu festival which begins with the ritualistic worship of the presiding deity followed by a feast, Sivaratri differs in that one dedicates the entire day of twenty-four hours to the worship of Lord Siva. In the evening people generally go to a nearby temple where in the company of many others they listen to recitals of the legends and their meanings. They do not sleep that night, but remain awake. The worship continues throughout the night either by way of chanting the Rudram, singing in eulogy of Lord Siva or/and listening to religious discourses interpreting the legends associated with the festival. Mahasivarathri is celebrated in a grand scale in the temples of Madurai and Rameswaram. In the rituals, leaves of a forest tree Bilva (Aegle marmelos/wood apple) are traditionally used in the services.
