History of Maha Shivratri Festival Story

Here are some of the most famous Maha Shivratri Legends or the History of Maha Shivaratri Festival. The date of Maha Shivaratri festival 2022 is on 1st March, Tuesday.

Shivratri Festival History - Marriage of Shiva and Shakti

This is one of the most famous legends related to Maha Shivaratri which marks the day when Lord Shiva got married the second time to Goddess Parvati. Another version of the legend says that that Goddess Parvathi performed penance on the moonless night of Shivratri, for the welfare of her husband. Hence, there is a custom followed by the married women to pray for the well being of their husbands and sons on Maha Shivratri Day. 

Samudra Manthan Story

Another legend explains about the observance of vigil throughout the night on Shivratri and why Lord Shiva is called as Neelakantha. The story recalls the incident of churning the milky ocean by devas and asuras to get the nectar. During the battle, a pot of poison came out of the ocean which was drunk by Lord Shiva on the request of gods to save earth. Due to the strong poison, the color of Lord’s neck changed to blue. Therefore, Lord Shiva is called as Neelkanth, where ‘Neela’ means blue and ‘Kantha’ means neck or throat. As a remedy for this, Lord Shiva was advised to stay awake during the night and hence, to keep him awake, the gods performed various dances and played music. Lord Shiva was pleased with their devotion and blessed them all. Shivratri festival is celebrated annually commemorating this event.

Legend of Shiva Linga

According to this legend, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were in a search to find out the Aadi (beginning) and the Antha (end) of Lord Shiva. It is believed that on the 14th day in the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna, Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. This day is considered auspicious and is celebrated as Maha Shivratri. Devotees celebrate this occasion by observing fast during the day and worshiping the Lord throughout the night.

Legend of Ganga

Once there lived a King named Bhagirath who observed severe penance to Lord Brahma for a thousand years. His request was to descend river Ganga to earth from heaven in order to wash over his ancestor's ashes to release them from a curse and allow them to go to heaven. His prayers were answered by Lord Brahma who granted the king’s wish. Lord Brahma told him to pray to Lord Shiva for Ganga’s descend. Consequently, Lord Shiva held out his thick matted hair to catch the river while she descended. This eased Ganga’s journey to the earth and her holy waters washed away the ashes of Bhagirath’s ancestors. Ganga thus became an attribute of Shiva and this manifestation of Shiva is known as Gangadhara.

As such, the devotees of Lord Shiva give a bath to the Shiva lingam during worship. They also take a dip in the holy water of river Ganga on a Shivaratri day.