Best places to travel & celebrate Maha Shivaratri

“ Om Namah Shivaya “

Meaning : I bow to Shiva, the supreme deity of transformation who represents the truest, highest self.

Maha Shivaratri, means “ The great night of Lord Shiva”. This is a Hindu festival basically celebrated all over India . This auspicious day Lord Shiva is worshiped.
Maha Shivaratri is the night Lord Shiva got married to Parvati (the symbol of love, fertility and prosperity among Hindus). Hindus believe that observing & celebrating this festival with devotion will bring to one the perfect companion, the love of one’s life.
On Maha Shivaratri, people often fast whole day and night, sing devotional songs, hymns and praises in Shiva temples. All the temples across the country are decorated very well and we can see people offering night long prayers to Lord Shiva.

Are you planning for an unique trip to celebrate the Maha Shivaratri festival this year?

All throughout India Maha Shivaratri is celebrated joyfully. While, the vast majority of Hindu population will pray and worship visiting the local Lord Shiva and Parvati shrine, there are many others who would love to travel to soak in the joy of this famous festival.

If you are a Shiv Bhakth and a traveler then, these are the 9 Best places to travel & celebrate Maha Shivaratri

You can spend good and peaceful time, as well as celebrate Maha Shivaratri

1. Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, This is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. This is in top of the list of temples to be visited during Maha Shivaratri.
Varanasi can be easily accessed from any part of the country. This city is very well connected by all means of transport. Lots of pilgrimage, & historical tourist places are located in and near by Varanasi.

2. Punchvaktra (Five Headed Linga ) Shiva Temple, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

This famous Lord Shiva temple is situated on the banks of Beas and Suketi rivers. During monsoons this temple will be submerged in the River Beas and cannot be accessed.
It is said that Mandi has 81 temples of Lord Shiva which is one more than Shiva temples of Varanasi.

3. Daksheswara Mahadev Temple, Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

Temples are widely spread in each and every place of the Haridwar city. And amongst all of them, most of the temples are dedicated either to Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu.
Daksheswara Mahadev Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Every year Millions of pilgrims come here during Maha Shivaratri festival. This temple is one of the most famous and ancient temples in Haridwar.

4. Trayambakeshwar Temple, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
Trayambakeshwar means the, ‘The Abode of Three-Eyed’.
Trayambakeshwar is one of the famous & important holy shrines in Rishikesh dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple structure is a 13-storied building with many deities worshipped inside. From the topmost floor of the temple, you can see the holy water of Ganges that looks calm when watched from a height.
This temple was founded by Adi Guru Shankaracharya in the 12th century.

Mahashivratri festival and Sawan month are the most auspicious time to pay a visit to the Trimbakeshwar Temple. Laxman Jhula, the hanging bridge which is nearby this temple is a very famous tourist place. You can visit and take blessings from Lord Shiva in Trimbakeshwar Temple and also enjoy the scenic surrounding formed by striking Himalayan ranges.

5. Siva Dol Sibsagar, Guwahati, Assam.
Sivasagar Sivadol is a group of structures consisting of three Hindu temples of Sivadol, Visnudol and Devidol, other shrines, and a museum.
Siva Dol is the tallest Shiva temple in the entire Northeast India. This is also the highest temple in the country with a height of 104 feet. Siva Dol is situated on the banks of the famous Sibsagar Lake which is more than 200 years old.

6. Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is the largest, tallest and most beautiful Hindu Temple of the Khajuraho Group of Temples. Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is located in Khajuraho village, Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh. This famous temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and has a Shiva Linga made of marble, as its sanctum.

This famous temple was built by Raja Dhandadeva and is one of the medieval wonder which dates back to 1050 BC. One of the most enticing things about the Kandariya Mahadev temple is that there are lots of sculptures of stone present inside the temple. These sculptures depict the various matters of our everyday life chores including the sculptures of humans and animals.
Khajuraho , Group of Monuments, are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. Great place to visit for History and architecture lovers.

7. Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh.
Srisailam is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva situated on the banks of River Krishna in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Srisailam is also one of the most ancient and a famous pilgrimage centers of Lord Shiva. Srisailam is the only place that is both a Jyotirlinga Kshetra and a Shakti Pitha in the same temple. This place is quite famous for its ancient temples, a wildlife sanctuary and Srisailam dam. Srisailam Dam built over River Krishna is one of the largest dams in South India.

8. Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Lingaraja Temple is a famous, largest and one of the oldest temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Best time to visit this temple is between February or March, you can witness the divinity of the Shivaratri celebration.

Other temples you can visit nearby are

• Parsurameswara Temple
• Sisireswara Temple
• Kotiteertheswara Temple
• Mukteswara Temple
• Brahmeswara Temple
• Kedareswara Temple

9. Murudeshwara Temple, Karnataka
Murudeshwara Temple is famous for the world’s second tallest Shiva statue. This temple is located in Bhatkal, Karnataka.
The tallest Lord Shiva statue is in Nepal, known as the (Kailashnath Mahadev Statue).
Raja Gopura which is built in front of the main temple premises is also a major attraction. This temple is surrounded 3 sides by the Arabian sea. You can climb up the Raja Gopura which is 20 storey high and view the whole town, temple premises and majestic Arabian sea. Murudeshwar is one of the most famous tourist places to visit in Karnataka, for it’s pilgrimage importance and popular beaches. Netrani Island, which is nearby to this temple is a very famous place for tourists, it offers excellent boating, snorkeling and scuba diving facilities.

Below are the 12 famous Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gujarat
2. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga – Gujarat
3. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga – Andhra Pradesh
4. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga – Madhya Pradesh
5. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga – Madhya Pradesh
6. Kedarnath Jyotirlinga – Uttarakhand
7. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga – Maharashtra
8. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga – Maharashtra
9. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga – Maharashtra
10. Vishwanath Jyotirlinga – Uttar Pradesh
11. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga – Jharkhand
12. Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga – Tamil Nadu

These are the temples with Tallest Shiva Lingam

• Bhojeshwar Temple – Madhya Pradesh
• Kotilingeshwara Temple – Karnataka
• Sidheshvarnath Temple – Uttarpradesh
• Brihadeshwara Temple – Tamilnadu
• Amareshwar Mahadev Temple – Madhya Pradesh
• Amarnath Temple – Jammu and Kashmir
• Baba Bhusandeswar Temple, Balasore – Odisha

These are Famous Non Jyotirlinga Temples of Lord Shiva

• Jageshwar Temple, Uttarakhand
• Tungnath Temple, Uttarakhand
• Aundha Nagnath Temple, Maharashtra
• Vaijnath Temple, Maharashtra
• Ghushmeshwar Temple, Rajasthan
• Brihadeeswara Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Thillai Nataraja Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Shore Temple, Tamil Nadu
• Lingaraja Temple, Odisha
• Mahabaleshwar Temple, Karnataka
• Murudeshwara Temple, Karnataka
• Srikalahasti Temple, Andhra Pradesh

“ Om Namah Shivaya “

All the pictures in this blog are from Wikipedia