Kathmandu, Mar. 8: Mahashivaratri, one of the biggest festivals of Hindus, is being marked on Friday across the country by paying homage to the Lord Shiva. Of the four nights, Shivaratri is a night of fasting and prayer in honour of Lord Shiva. 

A large number of devotees have already thronged the Pashupatinath Temple to observe the festival. 

Different kinds of saints, sages and sadhus have already occupied major parts of the Pashupatinath Temple area. 

Saints, sages and sadhus are the main attraction of Mahashivaratri at Pashupatinath. The roads around the temple are packed with devotees, sadhus, beggars, foreign pilgrims and tourists.

The devotees have already started thronging the inner as well as outer precincts of the temple.

Several myths and legends regarding Mahashivatarti are popular in the Hindu world.  According to one of the most popular legends, it 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 the auspicious night of Mahashivaratri.

According to another popular legend 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 Lord Shiva and they celebrate it as Mahashivaratri – the grand night of Shiva.

On the day of Mahashivaratri, people carve various symbols of Mahadev with flowers, Om Namah Shivaya and Swastiak.  

This year, Pashupatinath area will be decorated with verities of flowers  but not massively like previous years, said Raju Kumar Khatri, Member Secretary of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT). The Pashupati area is being decorated with electric lights and flowers from the enteral sources of trust, he said.  Rs. 5 million had been allocated to decorate Pashupati Temple premises. 

The eye pleasing decoration of verities of flowers on the day of Shivaratri was made possible with the donation of donors in previous years, he said.