March 3, 2008...11:29 am

Pakistan: Maha Shivratri festivities at Katas Raj Temple

Jump to Comments

 Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend this event in Katas, located un the Punjab province of Pakistan. 

“Maha Shivratri falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of ‘Phalgun’ (February-March). The event marks the night when lord Shiva performed the Tandav dance (the dance of destruction).” 

“Maha Shivratri means the night of Shiva, and ceremonies are pre-arranged chiefly at night time. Maha Shivratri is the night on which lord Shiva and Parvati got married.”

LAHORE: More than 200 Hindu pilgrims – led by Indian Legislative Assembly member (MLA) Rajni Kant Chawla and her sister Mala – will reach the Joint Check Post at Wagah Border today (Monday). They will be on a special train and are coming to Pakistan to celebrate Maha Shivratri - a three-day holy festival.

Senior officers of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) will receive the delegation at Wagah Railway Station, from where they will go to Gurdwara Dera Sahib. The ETPB and other departments concerned have finalised security and other arrangements for thousands of Hindu pilgrims expected to visit Pakistan for the event.

ETPB Deputy Administrator Faraz Abbas told Daily Times that all the pilgrims would reach Gurdwara Dera Sahib on Monday. “On Tuesday morning, the pilgrims will leave for Katas Raj Temple, where they will stay till the concluding ceremony of the event, which is till March 6,” he said. He said the pilgrims would return to Lahore on Friday, and after visiting their holy places in the city and in surrounding cities, they would return to India. Besides pilgrims from other countries, a large number of Hindus living in Pakistan will also join Maha Shivratri celebrations.

Faraz Abbas told Daily Times that Hindus would fast on Maha Shivratri. “Some devotees do not drink water and stay up all night,” he said.

“The Shiva Lingam (the mark or sign of Shiva, the Hindu god) is worshipped throughout the night, as people wash it every three hours with milk, curd, honey and rose water, whilst chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’.

Hindus living in Lahore, while explaining about the festivities, said the word Maha Shivratri means the night of Shiva, and ceremonies are pre-arranged chiefly at night time. Maha Shivratri is the night on which lord Shiva and Parvati got married.

They said the Hindu community throughout the country celebrated Maha Shivratri and that the event was particularly popular in interior Sindh.

Maha Shivratri falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of ‘Phalgun’ (February-March). The event marks the night when lord Shiva performed the Tandav dance (the dance of destruction).

By Shahnawaz Khan reporting for the Daily Times

2 Comments

Filed under Dance, India, Pakistan, Religion, Society, minorities

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Comments

  • Sharon
    March 3, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    Do you want to be enlightened? Do you want to bring back spirituality into your life? Do you want to be fulfilled and happy in all areas of your life such as health, wealth, and relationships? Do you want to learn the secrets of manifestation? Do you want miracles in your life? Then go to http://www. sivababa.org. The Englitened Siddhi Master Dattatreya Siva Baba changed my life and I know he will change yours for the better.

    Celebrate Shivratri with devotees around the world

    Iinvitation to Datta’s Free Sivaratri Conference Call on Wednesday evening:
    **********************
    Heading: Free Telephone Conference Call with Enlightened Siddhi Master–Sivaratri, March 5
    body: On Sivaratri, March 5, there is going to be a First-Time ever FREE Telephone Conference Call that will give you an opportunity for Enlightenment. Dattatreya Siva Baba, a scholar mystic from the Tamil Siddha tradition, and YouTube Guru, gifts a Free Public Worldwide Conference Call on March 5, 2008 at 8 P.M. EST to Transmit Energy to End Suffering and Create Miracles.
    Go to http://sivababa.org and enter you email on the homepage, the phone number to call will be sent to you. It is at 8 PM EST on Wednesday, March 5.
    If you would like more information, go to http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=60174.

    ******************************

  • Maha Shivratri festivities in Pakistan’s Katas Raj temple « Asian Window
    March 4, 2008 at 5:56 am

    [...] more [...]

Leave a Reply