Mahashivratri And The Dam Madar Malang

Mahashivratri And The Dam Madar Malang, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Every year I shoot the Mahashivratri feast either at Satghare Ram Mandir Bandra Bazar Road or the Jari Mari Temple SV Road opp the Bandra Talao.

However this year I was up to my gills in work , a new working environment that made me forget about Mahashivratri.in terms of photography, I had too much on my hands I had to rush to town for some important work, and I had carried my EOS Canon 7D ...on my way back to Bandra before Dagdi Chawl I saw this statue of Lord Shiva , as a divine interpretation , I stopped my cab and shot a few frames as an offering for my Hindu brothers on Mahashivratri day..

And I remembered my Naga Gur Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj of Juna Akhada ..my desire to go with him to Junagadh remains unfulfilled till date , perhaps I will meet him at the Kumbh..if the Lord Wills ..

And today on Mahashivratri day I booked my train tickets for Ajmer as I have to renew my pledge to my Dam Madar Peer Baba Masoumi at Char Yar in May from 25 to 29 ..and in the meanwhile I shall wait for my wings to grow .. they are the strength of my spirituality ..

Dam Madar Beda Par..


About Mahashivratri..

Maha Shivaratri is celebrated with great devotion and religious fervor by Hindus, in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods forming the Trinity. The festival falls on the moonless, 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (in the month of February - March, according to English Calendar). On the festival of Maha Shivaratri, devotees observe day and night fast and worship Shiva Lingam, to appease Lord Shiva. Many interesting legends have been related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri, explaining the reason behind its celebrations as well as its significance.

According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri is the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is also believed that Lord Shiva performed ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction on this auspicious night of Shivaratri. According to another popular legend, described in Linga Purana, it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga for the first time. Since then, the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by the devotees of Shiva and they celebrate it as Maha Shivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.

Shiva devotees observe strict fast on Maha Shivaratri, with many people having only fruits and milk and some not even consuming a drop of water. Worshippers dutifully follow all the traditions and customs related to Shivaratri festival, as they strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva, on the auspicious day, releases a person of his sins and also liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. As Shiva is regarded as the ideal husband, unmarried women pray for a husband like Him, on Shivaratri. On the other hand, married women pray for the well being of their husbands, on this auspicious day.

On Maha Shivratri, devotees wake up early in the morning and take a bath, if possible in river Ganga. After wearing fresh clothes, they visit the nearest Shiva temple, to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum (with milk, honey, water etc). The worship continues the whole day and whole night. Jaagran (nightlong vigil) might also be observed in Lord Shiva temples, where a large number of devotees sing hymns and devotional songs, in praise of Lord Shiva. In the morning,g devotees break their fast by partaking the prasad offered to Lord Shiva, after the aarti, the night before.

Maha Shivaratri Date 2012 - 20 February.