Masik Shivaratriమాస శివరాత్రి
The waning fourteenth tithi — the monthly night of Shiva.
- Deity
- Shiva
- Frequency
- Once a lunar month
What Masik Shivaratri is
Every krishna chaturdashi is a Shivaratri; once a year, in Magha, it becomes Maha Shivaratri. The monthly observance keeps the same shape as the great one in miniature: a fast, and a night divided into four watches, each with its own worship. The night before the new moon is the darkest of the month, and the tradition treats that darkness as the condition for the practice rather than an obstacle to it.
Who observes it
Kept by Shaivas throughout the year and by many others in the month of Magha. Unmarried women in some regions keep it as a vrat for a good marriage.
Fasting rules
A fast from sunrise to the following sunrise, broken the next morning. Most keep a fruit-and-milk fast; some keep it without food entirely. The night vigil matters more than the severity.
Pooja vidhanam
Abhishekam of the linga in each of the four watches of the night, with water, milk, curd, honey, ghee and finally water again. Bilva leaves at every stage. Continuous recitation of Om Namah Shivaya, the Rudram, or the Mahamrityunjaya mantra through the vigil.
2027 dates
Computed from the tithi at sunrise for your selected city. Tap any date for that day's full panchangam.