Nepali Hindu devotees throng Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu on “Maha Shivaratri”

Nepali Hindu devotees on Friday continued to throng the Pashupatinath Temple in the capital Kathmandu , observing the great festival of Maha Shivaratri.

Since early morning, Hindu devotees have been gathering in nearby rivers, ponds and temples to worship Lord Shiva.

Shivaratri celebrates the grand marriage of Lord Shiva with the goddess of fertility, love, and beauty – Parvati, who is also known as Shakti.

Maha Shivaratri marks the convergence of ‘Shiva’ and ‘Shakti’ and also celebrates the night when Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandav’–the cosmic dance.

Shivaratri is one of the four nights known as Kaalratri, Moharatri, Sukharatri and Shivaratri.

Dhruba Raj Pandey, one of the devotees, said that among the four nights (ratri), Shivaratri is the major one.

“There are four Ratri (nights)- Kaalratri, Moharatri, Sukharatri and Shivaratri. The major amongst these is Shivaratri. It is believed that Lord Shiva at the time of the cataclysm played Damaru and made this Maha Shivaratri, it has been observed for ages,” Pandey told ANI.

Shivaratri, which is being observed today by Hindus in various countries, including Nepal and India, has been regarded as one of the greatest festivals in the Hindu holy scriptures–the Puranas.