Maha Shivaratri Festival in Kathmandu Nepal

Maha Shivaratri is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Nepal and India, where the Hindus are in large numbers. This festival is especially dedicated to the god Shiva. Shiva is one of the major gods in Hinduism. This festival falls on the 14th dark fortnight in the month of Magha, according to the Nepali calendar. This festival is known as an opportunity that deals with grabbing the spiritual energy more easily because the stars on the northern hemisphere fall at the optimum distance.

There are a bunch of temples and shrines around Kathmandu where millions of devotees come together to celebrate this festival. Pashupatinath is one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal, and on the day of Maha Shivaratri, millions of people, devotees, and holy persons gather around the Pashupatinath temple, where they worship, practice ritual, and perform holy actions. Many Nagas (naked holy persons) perform their special dance, and they burn fire. A lot of weed, marijuana, is smoked in this way as an offering to the god Shiva.

There is a public holiday on this day in Nepal, and also Army Day falls on the same day; thus, we can see the Nepali army following the air shows and stunts, which are eye-catching. The kids celebrate this festival by blocking the road with ropes to collect some money for the offerings and a bonfire for the evening. We burn the holy fire in the evening, which is called Dhuni, which also aims to push the winter away to bring the spring back. This is a precious day if you are a culture and religion explorer, and you can see so many people on a common platform. The whole Pashupati temple square area used to be jammed with devotees from Nepal, India, and South Asia; we can also see many visitors from around the world. We can see the devotees around Shiva temples like Doleshwar Mahadev Temple, Gokarna Mahadev Temple, Santaneshwar Mahadev Temple, Kailashnath Mahadev, and Pashupatinath Temple

It is observed in Kathmandu, Nepal, for various profound religious and cultural reasons:

Why Maha Shivaratri is celebrated:

Principal Religious Significance:

Nepal observed Maha Shivaratri as a festival of respect and homage to one of Hinduism's major deities, Lord Shiva. The festival has been explained to be extremely auspicious because, on the night of Maha Shivaratri, according to mythology, is the union night of Shiva and Shakti, i.e., collectively the female and male energies responsible for maintaining the cosmos in balance.

Cultural and Spiritual Significance:

Maha Shivaratri, i.e., "The Great Night of Shiva," is the only festival where deep associations of the spiritual type are encouraged. When the very essence of life gets revitalized by the divine on the night, the material world feels closest to the divine.

National Significance:

 It's celebrated as a national holiday in Nepal because it's one of the holiest Hindu religious functions, where people dance and meditate to commemorate the occasion of worshipping Lord Shiva, therefore forming an integral religious festival for the majority of the population in Nepal.

Unique Spiritual Practice:

While most Hindu feasts see cultural enthusiasm being expressed, Maha Shivaratri is one festival being observed in a subdued manner with inner-oriented gravity, fasting, self-reflection over Shiva, study over oneself, social cohesion, and nocturnal sitting vigil at Shiva temples.

Ancient Ritual.
 The special rituals include the offerings of milk, water, and bell leaves to the Shiva Linga. Religious intensity is incorporated in the surroundings by the addition of rhythmic chanting and prayer. In the city of Kathmandu, in particular, the festival is crowned by the renowned Pashupatinath Temple of the world, one of the holiest temples in the world dedicated to Shiva, and serves as the festival's epicenter. The festival is a religious awakening night, devotion, and inner realization search by feeling one with Lord Shiva.