Maha ShivratriMaha Shivratri at Aluva

Maha ShivratriMaha Shivratri at Aluva

This festival is observed by Hindus who offer prayers to Lord Shiva, the God of destruction. According to Hindu the mythology, it was on Shivratri (meaning, the night of Shiva) that he performed the Tandava Nritya – the dance of primeval creation, preservation and demolition.

Here in Kerala, Sivarathri is celebrated in the month of Kumbham (February-March) with all day fasts, reciting the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” and singing hymns praising Lord Shiva. The crux of the Sivarathri celebration is at the Siva Temple at Aluva, on the banks of the Periyar river. There is a Siva Lingom (idol) that emerges out of the sand on the river bank that attracts thousands of pilgrims.